Soon after Thomas Edison invented the incandescent lamp in 1879, this novel light source greatly gained popularity. Supplementing the advent of the earliest commercial arc lights introduced in 1878, the electric light industry began to hold a solid footing with the public with incandescent lighting commencing in the 1880s. As a result of this acceptance Edison and other power companies quickly sprang up around the Northeast and elsewhere offering their "new lighting source". Around 1890 many communities served by these investor-owned electric utilities began to consider purchasing all of the assets of the latter. The purpose was for public ownership/control of the plant and lines by the citizens of their communities. Hull, MA (example in the photo above) was among the first to start their own public power plant (in Massachusetts). That was during 1894. This photo shows a number of separate primary voltage (1,100 volt or 2,200 volt) circuits strung along a pole line that originated from their steam plant a couple miles away. Also, in 1894 neighboring Hingham, MA voters approved purchase of existing overhead lines, customers, street lights and meters from the Weymouth Light and Power Company that had served Hingham. I have been employed for HMLP for many years and developed their centennial historical research brochure in 1994. Please refer to:

http://www.hmlp.com/AboutUs/History.asp

Both the Hull and Hingham, MA public power utilities have since enjoyed lower rates to this very day compared to the adjoining investor-owned companies and have fast emergency response owing to their geographically smaller service areas. The same is true with the other 38 municipally owned electric utilities serving Massachusetts cities and towns, all with community ownership and elected-commissioner control. In addition, most of the Public Power electric utilities in MA have a real person who answers the phone (opposed to a bot with a menu). Old-school at its best; most have their billing office in their home town with a real person right behind the counter to speak to you. I am sure this is true with most of the many other Public Power communities throughout the United States (and the less corporate-controlled private ones, too...).

PS...This utility probably used a lot of glass deep groove double petticoat insulators (CD 164s) in their earliest days. After around 1905 porcelain equivalents became more commonplace. Of interest light to dark blue porcelain pintypes were employed by the utility during the c.1910-1940 era. Especially the old Pittsburg MLODs in about every shade of blue and gray....from my experience of digging through their discards from 1964-1980. These colors were not used as markers; I never got any explanation why so many blue porcelains were used there, even from the old timers who started there in the early 1930s....