Horton in Brown County, Kansas — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)
First REA Project in Kansas
Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., March 11, 2013
1. First REA Project in Kansas Marker
At this site the first power pole for the Brown-Atchison Electric Cooperative was dedicated in special ceremony on November 10, 1937. Brown-Atchison was the first rural electric project to energize in Kansas financed by loan funds from the Rural Electrification Administration (REA). On April 1, 1938, central-station electricity generated at the Horton Power Plant was sent into the first section of lines to farms in Brown and Atchison counties, signaling an end to darkness and drudgery for rural people. Thirty-eight other electric cooperatives followed in Kansas to deliver the wonders of electricity into every rural area of the state. Rural electrification became known as the best "hired hand" the farmer/rancher could have. Few other occurrences have impacted so positively on rural areas as has the rural electrification program.
This marker is dedicated to all the rural electric cooperative pioneers in Kansas who proved that working together for their own and the common good, produces a better life for themselves and their neighbors.
Erected 1987 by Kansas Electric Cooperatives and Kansas State Historical Society. (Marker Number 111.)
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Charity & Public Work
this page online
Location. 39° 40.027′ N, 95° 31.176′ W. Marker is in Horton, Kansas, in Brown County. Marker is on 15th Street (U.S. 73) near 5th Avenue East, on the right when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 602 West 15th Street, Horton KS 66439, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 6 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. "Four Horsemen of the Lines" (approx. half a mile away); Horton Civic Center (approx. ¾ mile away); School Bell - 1886 (approx. 5 miles away); Honnell - Means Honor Garden (approx. 5.1 miles away); Everest Honor Garden (approx. 5.1 miles away); Everest 125th Anniversary (approx. 5.1 miles away); Prairie Flower Garden (approx. 5.1 miles away); The Founders of Everest (approx. 5.1 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Horton.
More about this marker. This marker was reburbished in January 2013.
Also see . . .
1. Rural Electrification in Kansas. Kansas Historical Society website entry (Submitted on March 16, 2013, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.)
Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., March 11, 2013
2. First REA Project in Kansas Marker
2. Flashbacks: Rural Electrification by the Numbers. Rural Electrification magazine website entry (Submitted on October 25, 2023, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York.)
Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., March 11, 2013
3. Horton Municipal Power Plant (built 1930)
Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., March 11, 2013
4. Horton Municipal Power Plant Marker (1930)
Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., March 11, 2013
5. Horton Municipal Power Plant Rehabilitation Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on October 25, 2023. It was originally submitted on March 16, 2013, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania. This page has been viewed 948 times since then and 112 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on March 16, 2013, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.
