The big night arrived for the illumination of the new mercury vapor street lights. Nearly 15,000 citizens turned out to see the new lights turned on precisely at 9:30 pm on June 20,1949. There was a parade earlier in the evening along Court Street that included bands and featured guest speakers.

There were so many people on hand that the parade had to be cut short as crowds filled the parade route. Here is a picture of the big event in all its blazing glory taken later on in the evening. Note that two lamps on the upper left of the picture appear to be having problems…