Welcome to our fifth Historic Mount Pleasant (HMP) Monthly Newsletter. Our goal is to inform community members about historic district permit requirements, common technical issues and solutions, and other aspects of the historic district, including its history.
All the Modern Conveniences
Mount Pleasant’s original electric meters, like the power supplied, were small. As demand for power grew, new meters got bigger and locating them became a problem. Fortunately, the DC Historic Preservation Office has guidelines for new utility meters placed in the public space in front of buildings, requiring them to be in unobtrusive locations. A better solution is an interior meter that will be read electronically or from a remote location.
Almost all of the pre-1920s houses in Mount Pleasant had gas lighting, with the more expensive houses also wired for electric lights. Combination fixtures were used because electric service was still undependable. The electric supply was sized just for lighting, so if you wanted to plug in the latest electric convenience, like an electric fan, vacuum cleaner or iron, you usually had to unscrew a light bulb and plug it in the socket, or use one of the two or three outlets in the house. Gas lighting generally disappeared after 1920 when electricity reached price parity with gas.
100 years after household electric power became the standard, we are now looking at adding another, seemingly-new electric convenience: electric vehicles (EVs), which may require increased electric service to support new charging stations. Unfortunately, while they can be installed at the rear of your own property, personal EV charging stations are not permitted in public space anywhere in the city. Currently, DC’s Electric Vehicle Charging Station Program is available only commercial vendors who must install dual-port and Level 2 or direct-current Fast Chargers.
Mt. Pleasant History
The Library of Congress Chronicling America website provides access to historic newspapers, dating from 1777 to 1963. Below is a page from the February 02, 1913 Evening Star with an article on the latest thing – the ELECTRIC AUTOMOBILE – and all of its advantages!
Papers of the period were filled with ads for the Detroit Electric (Indisputably the Car… for People who Appreciate Power, Speed, Comfort and Economy), and Studebaker (Leader in Price and Quality). They also were featured at the Second Annual Sociability Run (The Electric is the Ideal Pleasure Car),
And most exciting, a trip to Baltimore and back with 10 miles to spare in the July 26, 1913 Washington Times!
