Doylestown Borough Council considered installing electric lights as early as the spring of 1885. In September 1886, Mr. Sherwood, of the Excelsior Light Co. of Philadelphia, came to introduce his company’s system of lighting. He set up lights on the corner of Main and State streets and at the intersection of Main and Court streets. Local businessman Mr. Hulshizer furnished power from the engine at the Agricultural Works and citizens came out to see lights blazing. The Intelligencer reported, “This is a beautiful light and will be worth the effort to see how electricity is adapted to the lighting of homes and places of business.”
In response, the gas company, which had a monopoly on town lighting since 1854, erected a light at the corner of Main and State, near the string of electric lights. However, the strongest gas light ever seen in town was dim and feeble by comparison to the electric lights. The gas works promised an improved quality of light, the price of gas was reduced, and they began to provide gas lamps on the newer streets of town: Maple, Linden, Cottage and Ashland. At least five councilmen (rumored to have shares in the gas works) voted against a change to electric. But the voters of Doylestown eventually had their say and, in February 1887, voted for electricity in overwhelming numbers.
A little more than 100 years later, in 1989, the town reverted to the Victorian style street lamp. Twelve-foot high sodium vapor electric lights on black cast iron poles resembling the turn-of-the-century Welsbach gas lamp were installed throughout the historic district.
Source: “Electricity Comes to Doylestown” by Jean Dawson, Business & Community Alliance Newsletter, Winter 1995.
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