Harleston Village in Charleston in Charleston County, South Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)

First Central Station in South Carolina

Electrical Engineering Milestone

Photographed by Mike Stroud, October 6, 2011

1. First Central Station in South Carolina Marker

Inscription. The United States Electric Illuminating Company of Charleston started up South Carolina's first central station for incandescent electric lighting in this building October 1882. This was just one month after Thomas Edison opened his central station on New York City's Pearl Street. In the following years, the pioneering firm United States Electric was one of Edison's main competitors.

Erected 1986 by Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Industry & Commerce. In addition, it is included in the IEEE Milestones in Electrical Engineering and Computing series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1882.

Location. 32° 46.665′ N, 79° 56.016′ W. Marker is in Charleston, South Carolina, in Charleston County. It is in Harleston Village. It is on Queen Street west of King Street, on the right when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 94 Queen Street, Charleston SC 29401, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Historic Charleston

and in the Lowcountry.

It is also in the American South

and specifically in the Deep South.

Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the original Thirteen Colonies,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Quaker Cemetery (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Jonathan Jasper Wright Law Office (about 300 feet away); The Unitarian Church in Charleston (about 300 feet away); The Unitarian Churchyard

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(about 400 feet away); The Most Reverend Emmet Michael Walsh (about 400 feet away); St. John's Church (about 500 feet away); Philip Porcher House (about 500 feet away); John Rutledge Home (about 500 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Charleston.

Also see . . . First Central Station in South Carolina. Invention & Technology website entry: Founded in 1878 by the prolific inventor Hiram Maxim, the USEL (United States Electric Lighting Company of New York) soon established itself as Thomas Edison's chief rival in the field of incandescent lighting. The company made some of the earliest installations of this new technology using Maxim's patent on a carbon-filament lamp, which was similar to that invented by Edison in 1879. (Submitted on November 7, 2011, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina.)

First Central Station in South Carolina Marker, behind the bush image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mike Stroud, October 6, 2011

2. First Central Station in South Carolina Marker, behind the bush

First Central Station in South Carolina Marker area image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mike Stroud, October 6, 2011

3. First Central Station in South Carolina Marker area

Credits. This page was last revised on October 11, 2025. It was originally submitted on November 7, 2011, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina. This page has been viewed 718 times since then and 21 times this year. Last updated on August 8, 2020, by Craig Baker of Sylmar, California. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on November 21, 2011, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina. • J. Makali Bruton was the editor who published this page.