When the voters of Kirkwood went to the polls on July 21, 1900, they cast 237 votes in favor of building a community-owned electric generating plant—and only 8 votes against. That bold decision made Kirkwood one of the first cities in Missouri to own and operate its own electric utility.
Construction of the first plant cost $2,138, and by 1902, electric current was being supplied for homes, businesses, and even “fan service.” Within a year, more than 1,000 lights glowed in private residences, and 250 streetlights illuminated the streets of Kirkwood—an extraordinary achievement for a young city at the turn of the century.
By 1911, demand for electric service had grown so quickly that a $10,000 bond issue was approved to extend power lines beyond the original system.
During World War I, coal shortages forced cities across the country to reduce energy use. In 1917, the Kirkwood Board of Aldermen decided to light only half of the “white way” streetlights on Webster Road (now Kirkwood Road) and Main Street (now Argonne Drive) each night. By 1918, at the recommendation of the St. Louis County Fuel Administrator, the City temporarily closed its generating plant to conserve coal—purchasing electricity from Union Electric instead.
In 1921, the original generating plant building found new life as the home of the Kirkwood Ice Cream Company.
Even then, Kirkwood’s independent spirit endured—and the foundation was laid for a century of reliable, locally governed service that continues today.
(Reprinted with permission from “A History of Kirkwood,” by June Wilkinson Dahl, published by the Kirkwood Historical Society, 1965, pages 182–187.)
