BY DUKE WENZEL
The city light plant marked its 100th anniversary in 2023. The brick and tile building was started in July of 1923 as the big numbers say on the east side.
The building would first house a 100 horse power engine the city purchased at Anderson Indiana. Later three big Westinghouse diesel engines would be installed and serve the city with homemade power into the 1960's. As a kid I visited the plant regularly when my dad Don L. Wenzel was on duty as one of the employees who manned the plant 24 hours a day.
In the 1960's the plant was no longer needed as outside electricity was purchased from an outside source. It was kept and started up as needed during line blackouts.
A substation was needed to convert the power for household use. And that's where I enter the story as a young 17 year old, newly married man I was happy to take a part time job with the electric department. In the spring of 1959 a $1.25 an hour seemed like a lot of money at the time. And I was then the guy who bolted that substation together that summer (shown at the left in the picture).
I sometimes think to myself as I drive by that steel structure, yes that's my 17-year-old strength stored up in every bolt in that thing, boy I could sure use some of that now!