Powerhouse

Powerhouse. . In 1895, James Purdy started to acquire acreage along the east side of Richie Road. By 1918, he had acquired 560 acres, which was mostly swampland including all of Mud Lake just a half-mile northeast of this Barn Site. His goal was to build a full-sized generating plant to supply power for Gagetown and Owendale. That same year he traveled to Canada to visit a peat fired power plant to gain more information. Upon returning he hired Ottomar Sting and his father to begin digging a ditch to drain Mud Lake, so he could harvest the peat, dry it into brick-sized cakes and use it as fuel for the steam boiler. He built this 12 ft. by 20 ft. Powerhouse as a test site. Unable to get the peat to burn hot enough to produce enough steam for the steam engine to drive the generator at a constant RPM, in 1922 he gave up the idea. He then purchases a Delco System, similar to what is on display inside, to provide power on site. In 1938 James signed the paperwork to have a pole set at this address and commercial power was finally brought to the site. Reconstruction of the Powerhouse was completed in 2008. It stands as a testimony to James Purdy's ingenious foresight.