THE BIGGEST MOB HIT IN YEARS

Atlantic City....
A Place We Call Home
By Ken Calemmo and Kristine Kodytek
Thomas Edison opened the world’s first
central electric power plant in New York
City in 1881. Just five years later, the
Electric Light Company of Atlantic City
and the Bridgeton Electric Light of New
Jersey were incorporated (and the
history of Atlantic City Electric began).
The local providers used two generators
from Edison’s company. That year, the
Electric Light Company of Atlantic
City generated electricity for fifty
customers. Electricity was available
from dusk until 1 a.m. for a price of
$2.00 per kilowatt-hour.
Around-the-clock electricity wouldn’t be
available in Atlantic City for a few more
years, but that didn’t stop tourists from
visiting the beach, The Boardwalk, and
the beautiful hotels Atlantic City had to
offer. Then, in 1887, Atlantic City used
daytime electricity to power The Trolley
and the first electric Merry Go Round—
“The Flying Horses on the Beach.”
In 1905, an Atlantic City ordinance
granted Atlantic City Electric the
municipal consent to construct its
infrastructure in the city for the next one
hundred years.
As New Jersey’s dependency on
electricity grew, New Jersey Governor
Woodrow Wilson established one of the
nations first Public Utility Commissions.
In the 1920s, you could spot Atlantic
City meter readers on motorcycles
THE HISTORY OF ATLANTIC CITY ELECTRIC
recording electric usage. And at that
time, The Boardwalk was lined with
illuminated billboards advertising
Broadway shows that were coming to
Atlantic City. About 168 shows would
come each year.
Atlantic City Electric and the Electric
Company of New Jersey united their
eastern and western service territories in
1927. As electricity use continued to
grow, Atlantic City captured the nation’s
attention by celebrating the 50th
anniversary of incandescent lighting.
To encourage the public to buy and use
electric appliances, Atlantic City
Electric’s “Home Service Girls”
demonstrated a variety of convenient
household washing machines and
refrigerators in 1931.
In 1960, Atlantic City Electric
celebrated its 75th anniversary and the
completion of a 230 thousand
volt transmission line
spanning the Delaware River.
The B.L. England generation
station, named after ACE’s
president, at Beesley’s Point,
was also completed.
To prepare for the 1964
Democratic National
Convention, Atlantic City
Electric installed thirty-three
tons of air conditioning
capacity to Boardwalk Hall,
known then as Atlantic City’s
Convention Center.
In the late 1970s when consumers were
now encouraged to install new, energy
efficient appliances in their homes, the
company was the first utility in the
nation to require a minimum efficiency
standard for air conditioners.
In 1977, electric gaming became a
popular way to attract visitors to
Atlantic City’s first combination hotel
and casinos. Later, in 1994, Atlantic
City Electric would establish a line of
businesses specifically to support the
hotel and casino industry.
Atlantic City Electric continues to keep
the lights ON. Now a subsidiary of
Pepco Holdings, Inc., ACE provides
safe and reliable electric service to
547,00 customers everyday throughout
southern New Jersey.
The Boardwalk Journal | May 2013 | 61