The first manager of the electric light plant was Henry Cone, brother of J.A. Cone, the manager in 1930. J.A. Cone was employed by W.B. McAllister when the first plant was installed, and with two other men, put up the line. After completing this work he left, but he returned three years later, and has been on the job ever since a period of forty-three years, during which time he has never taken a holiday, nor at any time, been away from the plant, or some portion of it for as long as a week.

Mr. Cone well recalled the old red mill in which the first plant was located, with the furniture shop conducted by William and James Bland upstairs. Power was generated from water in the Muskrat River at the dam. The water was used during the day time to operate Mr. McAllister's grist mill on the west bank of the river, and at night, it served to provide light for the town.

The first plant consisted of two Weston 70 volt direct current dynamos and the incandescent lights ran in series of six, each taking 100 volts. If one light burned out, all six went out. This was soon followed by larger machines, both for street lighting and residential lighting. Arc lights were located on Pembroke Street at Cecelia, William, McKay, Victoria, Church, Moffat and Hincks Streets. Others were added later and when, in 1889, the Pembroke Electric Light Company came into being, there were additional lights at the intersections of Pembroke and Munro Streets, Christie and Mary Streets, Renfrew and Berlin Streets, in front of the Baptist Church, and in front of the Convent of Mary Immaculate. In order that the lights should illuminate as much of the adjacent territory as possible, they were hung on brackets at the top of 45 foot poles. Since the carbon burned out quickly, workmen had to climb the poles to trim them, sometimes a difficult and hazardous task.

This primitive plant on the bank of the Muskrat River was operated by Mr. McAllister until 1889, when owing to low water in the Muskrat River and increasing demands on the plant, a steam auxiliary plant was installed alongside the original building.

It was at this time that a company was formed, and purchased the business from Mr. McAllister. The original shareholders in the Pembroke Electric Light Company were: Hon. Peter White, W.B. McAllister, A.T. White, Archibald Foster, James A. Thibodeau, Arunah Dunlop, George Schmidt and Thomas H. Moffat. Hon. Peter White was the first president and Jas. A. Thibodeau was manager for a great number of years.

The plant was operated until 1893, when the next step in expansion was made, with the erection of the steam plant on Nelson Street, near the Muskrat River, behind the present City Hall. This station was equipped with three boilers, two Wheelock engines, simple and compound, and two Edison incandescent 110/220 volt, three wire direct current machines and one Westinghouse 1,000 volt single phase alternator, the first alternating current generator in Pembroke. Also the two old arc light machines were moved from the other station.

With the increased capacity, the Company set about to secure customers, and as an inducement, offered to wire houses free of charge. The result was that electric lights were installed in a great many homes.

With the development in the early days of the present century of the alternating and higher voltage systems, a new era was introduced, making possible the industrial development which has taken place in Pembroke since about 1910.

Click here to learn more about our history.