Origins of Albemarle EMC

America's attention was still focussed on the ending of World War II when a group of community leaders in northeastern North Carolina met at the Agricultural building in Hertford to discuss a peacetime problem - bringing electricity to rural people in the area.

Representatives from Camden, Pasquotank, Perquimans and Chowan counties met the night of Jan. 26 to determine if there was sufficient interest among the people to come together to provide themselves with a badly needed service.

Even as late as 1945, many rural people across the state did not have central-station electric service. Those who lived in town and those who lived along the main roads did, but those who lived even a few miles off the main paths could not persuade the investor-owned power companies to run service to them - not without a fee of several thousand dollars. Investor-owned utilities were motivated by profit. Small farmers that required long line extensions to provide service were not considered profitable.

Thus the idea of a consumer-owned, nonprofit electric system seemed to be the logical answer. Low-interest money was available from the federal government through the Rural Electric Administration, which was conceived in 1936 as part of Franklin Roosevelt's new Deal program "to electrify rural America."

Other electric cooperatives had already begun in North Carolina and across America in the late 1930s and the interest in northeastern North Carolina was no exception. At the meeting on Jan. 26, 1945, the decision was made to apply for a charter under the name of Albemarle Electric Membership Corporation. County agents and the newly elected directors were asked to solicit applications for service and to report back on Feb. 22. Those directors elected that first night included:

Camden County - J. Wilson and J.A. Whitehurst
Pasquotank County - Walter Lowery and E.L. Brothers
Perquimans County - A.T. Lane and J.Q. Hurdle
Chowan County - J.A. Wiggins, George Wood and L.E. Francis

By the time of the meeting on Feb. 22, the roll calls show that 952 applications had been filed. It was estimated at that time that at least 1,200 would be filed before the closing date on March 22. The directors signed the application for a charter, and Hertford was designated the principle office of the now budding cooperative.

Vice President - George C. Wood
Secretary - A.T. Lane
Treasurer - L.E. Francis

The new Albemarle EMC was off and running. In the months to come, the co-op applied for a loan from the Rural Electric Association for $685,000 to serve 2,119 member consumers. Consulting engineers were named, contractors' bids accepted, and construction began. By September of 1946, the first lines were energized in Camden County. From its humble beginning when a group of determined farmers decided to work together to provide themselves with electricity, Albemarle EMC has gown into a multi-million-dollar business serving more than 12,000 members in the Albemarle region. More than 1,306 miles of line stretch into remote areas and have provided an impetus to the local economy and standard of living. It is a classic example of the American people's drive and determination to succeed, and of a country that makes such success possible.