North Carolina's First Public Power Community
The City of Statesville was the first municipality in the State of North Carolina to provide electric service to its citizens. As the result of this historical accomplishment, we have been recognized as the first Public Power Community in North Carolina. Public power is a national concept where municipally owned electric utilities serve their communities.
Statesville opened the door to the future by introducing electricity on February 4, 1889. It all happened when a switch was pulled and the City's first electric lights blinked on to illuminate the tiny downtown area for a momentous two hours.
Town officials probably had no idea that this was to be one of the most significant events in the history of the City. At the time, they only wanted a better alternative to gas street lamps.
Read the Full Story of the History of Public Power in Statesville
