WHEN THE LIGHTS CAME ON

The Early Years of the Electric Membership Corporations


In our totally electric world, it is hard to imagine a world without electricity. However, some parts of our area didn't have electricity until sixty years ago. Cities like Dublin built their own power plants. Dublin's went on line in 1895 and was sold to the Georgia Power Company in 1925. Out in the country, electricity was still more than a decade away. On May 11, 1935 Franklin D. Roosevelt signed an executive order in Warm Springs, Georgia which created the Rural Electricfication Administration, "the R.E.A."

The farmers of our area knew what benefits electricity would bring. Many doubted the feasibility of establishing a rural electric system in Laurens, Wilkinson, and Twiggs Counties. But the farmers would not be denied. After several organizational meetings the Oconee Electric Membership Corporation was chartered on November 18, 1938. The first board of directors was composed of J.L. Allen, T.C. Waldrep, J.L. Whitaker, Paul J. Jones, Sr., M.B. Bell, Joseph R. Lord, and G.C. Ingram. The directors chose Doyle Bedingfield of Dudley to manage the organization of the EMC. After several months of discouraging efforts, the R.E.A. approved an application for a loan in the amount of $188,000. The grant would fund 220 miles of line and would serve four hundred forty members. G.C. Ingram took over the management. O April Fool's day in 1940, the lights came on. It was no joke. It was the greatest thing that had come to the country since peace and quiet.

Paul J. Jones, Sr. took over the management of Oconee E.M.C. in October of 1940 and served until June of 1957. In the first few years the average electric bill was two dollars a month. In the early Sixties, the average "light bill" had risen to an astonishing $7.79.

Electricity brought on a revolution in the farming community. Homes were warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer. Housewives cooked on electric stoves, much to the joy of all those boys who had to cut stove wood. Pig and chicken farming was made much easier with electric facilities. City folks started moving into rural areas.

Over a year before Oconee E.M.C. was chartered, the Altamaha E.M.C. was granted a charter to serve Toombs, Emanuel, southeastern Laurens, Treutlen, and Montgomery counties. The corporation began in a small rented room on the upper floor of a building in Lyons. Within twenty years the company's lines stretched for 1,653 miles. That's the same distance from Dublin to Rapid City, South Dakota.

The second E.M.C. to serve Laurens County was chartered on June 20, 1938.  The Little Ocmulgee E.M.C. was founded by R.F. Jordan of Shiloh, President; W.F. Whatley of McRae, Vice-president; and L.E. Tanner of Alamo, Secretary-treasurer. The remaining board members were B.M. Pope and Mrs. H.R. Hill of Wheeler County, E.L. Evans of Laurens County and Hugh Jones, J.M. Wook, and Mrs. W.F. McEachin of Telfair County. The service area was concentrated mostly in Telfair and Wheeler counties. The first corporate headquarters was located in a vacant store.  J.W. Simmons, Sr., the first manager, was aided by bookkeeper Mary H. Martin and lineman Charlie Morrison.

A federal loan was approved in November of 1938. On April 7, 1939, the lights came on for one hundred twenty-five families living along the first fifty-two miles of lines. L.F. Jones took over the management of the company in 1940 and served for a year. He was followed by J.R. Chambless, who served for over two decades. At the first annual meeting held in the Wheeler County Courthouse, organizers had to go out and bring in enough members to establish a quorum to vote on the business of the company. L.B. Chambers, W.C. Brown, and A.O. Cook came on to the board in the early Forties replacing Pope, Tanner, and Cook. Mrs. Hill was elected secretary. When more members came on line in Laurens County, H.Y. Grant, Horace Robinson, and Cordie Joiner were elected to the board. This gave Laurens equal footing with Wheeler and Telfair counties.

Service kept expanding as the number of lineman and trucks grew. In 1948 two way radios were installed in the service trucks and members began to get their first credits on their bills from the profits of the company.

FROM:  http://www.oconeeemc.com/


Seventy years ago there was no electricity available to the rural residents of Baldwin, Bibb, Bleckley, Dodge, Laurens, Twiggs, and Wilkinson Counties. Life on the farm was hard and the nights were dark.


After the Rural Electrification Administration (REA) was established in 1935 by an Executive Order of Franklin D. Roosevelt, wheels were put in motion to bring electricity to this area. A Vocational Agricultural teacher with the Dudley Consolidated Schools, Doyle Bedingfield, along with many interested citizens including T.C. Bobbitt, D.O. Lord, Rubert Hogan, and Warthen Chappell donated much time and effort to his project. They felt it would mean a great deal to every other man, woman, and child in this area to receive electric energy. The only thing these men expected out of this organization was electricity for their homes and families.

On November 18, 1938, Oconee EMC was incorporated with J.L. Allen, M.B. Beall, Paul J. Jones, Joseph R. Lord, T. C. Waldrep, Jimmy L. Whitaker and George Ingram named as Directors of the Corporation.

These men held their first Board of Directors meeting on November 22, 1938 and elected the following officers: J.L. Allen as President, T.C. Waldrep as Vice President, Joseph R. Lord as Treasurer and Paul J. Jones as Secretary.

Before the project would be considered feasible by REA in Washington, the Corporation had to secure 363 members over a range of 135 miles and guarantee revenue of $1,034.00. Interested citizens volunteered to take the lead in their community and work the entire section to solicit members and ask for guaranteed revenue. Jim Henry Montford, Jimmy Nelson, Jack Hobbs, Drew Horne, T.D. Bailey, Bill Tyson, Tom Pritchett, J.A. Butler, and T.D. Yancey worked with the original organizers and Directors to meet the REA requirements.

During the first year of this organization, several changes took place. Frank Y. Soles was elected to the Board of Directors replacing T.C. Waldrep. The Board hired Doyle Bedingfield as Coordinator of the project and Carl K. Nelson was named attorney for the Corporation. The first REA loan of $200,000.00 was approved in the summer of 1939. G.C. Ingram resigned form the Board of Directors to become Project Superintendent and a full-time employee of the Corporation. The Board named E.B. Dominy to replace Ingram as Director.

On October 12, 1939, bids from 15 contractors were received and opened. The low bid was awarded to Miller-Baxter Company, Inc. of Indianapolis, Indiana for the building of the first project. On October 16, 1939, negotiations were held with the Bank of Dudley on plans, lease and rental for a new building to be the permanent office for the Corporation. In addition, a stenographer-booker was hired. The Engineering firm of McCrary Company started to survey the right-of-way late in October. In November of that year, actual construction of power lines got underway.

Two hundred and twenty miles of lines were constructed and energized in April 1940 with 446 members being served at the time. The average monthly consumption per consumer was 42 kWh at an average cost of 6.2¢ per kWh.

The Board approved the purchase of a service truck with a maintenance body and R. Hunter Bryan was hired as the first lineman. The first bills were mailed in April of 1940. The minimum bill was $1.00 for 10 kWh. The average monthly consumption per consumer was 42 kWh at an average cost of 6.2¢ per kWh. In May of 1940 a 10% penalty as added to bills not paid within 10 days. On October 8, 1940, Board Secretary Paul J. Jones resigned from the Board of Directors to become Manager of the Corporation replacing George C. Ingram who had been serving as project superintendent. Due to failing health, Ingram was compelled to give up his position as project superintendent and was elected to the Board of Directors.

During the next four years, most all of the members in all the area between the Oconee River and the Ocmulgee River had been signed up for electricity.

Even with this rapid growth, new challenges and problems had to be faced in this decade. Four applications for REA loans were submitted and approved but no construction could get underway because of the war period.

Wire stringing and pole setting almost came to a halt as America geared herself to winning a war after the Pearl Harbor attack on December 7, 1941. On December 24, 1941, the construction of 230 miles of lines were completed and energized with 767 members being served. The average monthly consumption per consumer was 44 kWh at 6.4¢ kWh.

By mid 1942, most of the men in the area had gone to war, leaving a small nucleus to operate the system and erect a few lines to isolated patches of the service area. Despite their limitations, the movement to electrify the area did not die during these difficult years. Those left at home just worked a little harder and many women volunteered their time to promoting the movement.

Finally in 1945, with the Normandy invasion on D-Day, hope began to soar . . . American boys would soon be coming home. America, as well as Oconee EMC, saw a new ray of sunshine.

With the war over, rural Americans resumed the effort to electrify the nation's farming regions. In all the forsaken placed where people were still without power, Oconee EMC continued its dream.

Today, Oconee EMC continues to serve electricity to over 8,500 members with 12,500 meters and maintains 1,904 miles of energized line.