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supply. When a railroader bought ms house through
the B&O Relief Department, he had the.privilege of buying electricity from the railroad company. Men that bought into this plan were Jim Olambers, Lawrence Nelson, a Barker, and a Musgrove, among other families living near the railroad. 'The Gletner' s Hotel, which began in 1894, became the first hotel in town to have electric lights, according to family tradition. The first company offering the town electric service was the Harpers Ferry Power and Light Company. Ordinance No. 99, dated May 13, 1914,granted Harpers Ferry Power and Light Company the right to erect poles, string wires, and maintain a power station in the town of Brunswick. Harpers Ferry paid the town $200 a year plus 1-1/2 percent of gross receipts derived from their business in Brunswick. After the lights were installed on streets, the first street lights on Virginia were turned on and off each evening and morning by Mrs. Eva Shafer, who contacted each neighbor for their 50 cents a month fee. When individuals were able to tap into the supply of electricity they could choose to use a flat rate or a meter rate. The first 14 kilowatt hours cost ten cents. The charge dropped to 2-1/2 cents per kilowatt hour if use rose to between 3000 and 5000 kw; as an alternative, one could choose a flat rate. Potomac Edison became a mammoth producer of electricity. At one point, Harpers Ferry P. and L. offered to sell its business to Brunswick. The town turned down the offer. P.E. eventually bought HFP&L on February 5, 1934, and sold their product; however, that source came to be used as a back-up before the company was terminated. Around 1916 or 1917 the first electric lamp arrived in town in Tom Rockwell's store next to the Horine Building on South Maple A venue. Rockwell called Harry A. Burns into his shop to see the lamp that had just arrived. Burns bought the lamp immediately, the first house lamp in town. The lamp remains in the Burns family to this day, and was just in time, as the Burns' house had just had electricity installed in it. The first decade to be really electrified was the 1920's. Appliances of all kinds were going into peoples homes: stoves, washing machines, irons everyone wanted the labor-saving devices. Electricians were trained to keep the electricity coming and to keep the appliances working. In the memory of this book's staff there have been Doug Wetnight, T&W Electric (Jake Trice and Donald Wilson), Mike Trice, Ricky Heffner, KermitRunkles,
DRY CLEANERS When Charles "Brother Barger advertised in the town directory in 1924, he used as his motto, "We Dye to Live," advertising his cleaning and dyeing business on the site of the present People's Horne Furnishers. Previous to this, Mr. A. I. Ellin had offered dry cleaning and pressing with his tailoring business, the dry cleaning later taken over by Jimmy Jones, his establishment known as Brunswick Cleaners. In 1937 this was owned and operated by Harry C. Lawson. Other dry cleaners were Ideal Cleaners, owned by Charles and Gladys Utterback, and managed by Oswald (Buddy) Utterback; Royal Blue Cleaners, managed by Wendell Stewart at 201 West Potomac Street; a dry cleaning business managed by Donald Strailrnan on East "D" Street; and Shelley's Cleaners, managed by Donald Dawson on Petersville Road. Shelly offered 24-hour service in 1947 when he opened his shop. He charged 50 cents for a pair of trousers, $1 .00 for a suit, dress, or coat. This included delivery. His business was located where Big A Auto Parts is now located. Troy Laundry regularly sent a truck to town, as did Eddie's Cleaners and also Rockwell Cleaners.
BRUNSWICK LAUNDROMAT The Brunswick Laundromat was begun around 1963, when it was sold from the Ada Kirk estate to Picket Properties of Hagerstown. Its present owners are James M. Campbell and Bill Riley of Frederick (Carnrilco, Inc.). Virginia M. Lloyd manages the business. The second floor is the last remaining bunkhouse in Brunswick and is managed by The Engineers' Club. S - Sherman Lowry - June S. Jones - B. L. Cavalier W - WHH -MMM
ELECTRICITY Electricity came to Brunswick early in the 1900' s and to some private homes by 1909. The first electricity was furnished by the B&O RR, which used a coal-powered generator to produce its own
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