Let There Be Light

Let There Be Light:
Northport Becomes Electric

With the consolidation of the island's assorted rail lines into the Long Island Rail Road in the 1870s, Long Island’s suburbs became easily accessible and more attractive to many city dwellers. Small towns like Northport saw an influx of new residents who were accustomed to large city amenities.
Edward Thompson, owner of the law book publishing firm located on the corner of Woodbine and Scudder Avenues was one of Northport’s largest employers. His company hired young lawyers from all over the country. To meet their needs, Thompson and his associates furnished the Village with a fire department, a steamboat company, water works, a new church and residential housing. In 1893, Thompson and other Village leaders formed the Northport Electric Light Company.

The original Northport Electric Light Company building, circa 1895

Turning on the Light

The site for the original electric company was chosen along the waterfront, across the street from the Thompson Building. When it was completed, the power plant measured 40 feet by 65 feet, and was fitted with two boilers of 86 horsepower each and two engines of 70 horsepower each.
Equipment was supplied by General Electric and the wires strung by the Long Island Electrical Construction company. Mr. Milton Smith was able to boast that he was the first resident in the Village with electric light.

The interior of the original Northport Lighting Company

Engineering LILCO

As Long Island continued to grow and develop, so did the demand for electricity. The idea of consolidating electric plants and connecting them by transmission lines with one central power station was that of an electrical engineer by the name of Ellis L. Phillips. On June 1, 1911, with the financial backing of George W. Olmsted, and consent from Edward Thompson, Phillips merged the power plants at Northport, Sayville, Amityville and Islip, and the Long Island Lighting Company was born.

The office of Ellis Phillips was in the LILCO building on the corner of Scudder and Woodbine Avenue.
You can see a re-creation of this original sign hanging there today.

Two large additions were made to the existing power plant to house new machinery like the new 500-kilowatt turbine. Through transmission lines, Northport now supplied electricity to the three other stations, reducing the cost of power production.

The new, central LILCO power station at the harbor in Northport

The Move From the Village

LILCO continued to expand to meet the growing demands of the population, and in the mid-1960s, construction began on what would be LILCO’s largest generator in the system. The location selected was the former site of several sand mining operations along Eaton’s Neck Road, adjacent to Crab Meadow. The old excavations would allow the plant to sit below the tree line, offering a visual buffer from the unsightly 16-story-tall buildings used to house the furnace boilers and the 600-foot-high stacks. (Phase 1 of the new plant included only two stacks; two more were added in the 1970s.) The dredged harbor which had previously been used by the sand barges was an added convenience.
The longest underwater electric transmission line in the United States was built under the Sound to connect Northport with Norwalk, Connecticut’s power plant – a distance of 12 miles. LILCO also laid a fuel pipeline approximately 2 miles offshore connecting a docking platform to their oil storage tanks.

The LILCO stacks, visible from Eaton's Neck Road and the
Skidmore family cemetery

In June of 1968 the new plant on the Long Island Sound was in full operation. A few months prior, in March, Northport’s first electric light power plant came crashing down.

Demolition of the LILCO plant at Northport's harbor

WHAT'S IN THE BOX?

Visit the Historical Society's information box at our front steps at 215 Main Street. We'll have new surprises inside all summer.
This week you can pick up Our Stories: The History of a Community and learn the chronological history of Northport told through the stories of some of its most impactful residents.
Come see what's in the box!

COMING SOON!
Did you know that the Northport Historical Society’s museum building was originally the Northport Public Library?
The dedicated staff at the Museum is currently working on restoring part of the gallery into a “Library Corner.” When complete, it will serve as a space for the public to browse our local history library, conduct research, and access over 10,000 museum collection items, including documents and photos, online.
Here's a Sneak Peek:

A very big thank you to Tom Miller for building the new shelves for our Library Corner. They look fantastic!

Join us for our Summer Membership and Merchandise Blowout Sale!

Come see us on Main Street next weekend on Saturday, August 1st from 9-12:30 for a sale on membership to the Historical Society and on books, clothing, and posters from our museum shop.
Join us at a reduced rate and support the efforts of the Society.
We hope to see you there!

Looking for the perfect gift? Remind friends and family of where they came from with "Images of America, Northport."
All book sales support the Northport Historical Society's mission of preserving our shared history. $24 plus tax.

To order, text 631 796-2316.

While the Society navigates through these uncertain times, your online contributions have never been more vital to sustaining our preservation efforts. If at all possible, we would appreciate any contribution you may be able to make at this time.

Thank you for considering this request and please stay safe!

Click Here To Donate

215 Main Street, Northport, NY 11768
Phone: (631)757-9859
Email: info@northporthistorical.org
Copyright © 2020 Northport Historical Society.
All Rights Reserved.

Our mailing address is:
Northport Historical Society
PO Box 545
Northport, NY 11768

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Northport HIstorical Society · 215 Main Street · PO Box 545 · Northport, NY 11768 · USA