Bartlett in Bell County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)
Bartlett Electric Cooperative
Photographed By Keith Peterson, March 20, 2010
1. Bartlett Electric Cooperative Marker
Although the town of Bartlett had regular electric service by 1905, farmers in the surrounding rural area were not supplied with electricity until thirty years later. On May 11, 1935, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt signed an executive order establishing the Rural Electrification Administration (REA) as part of his New Deal emergency relief program. Designed to bring electricity to the rural areas of America, the REA also became a lending agency to help finance such projects.In 1935, the REA lent $33,000 to the Bartlett Community Light & Power Company. Later known as the Bartlett Electric Cooperative, the BCL&P built a 59-mile power line to serve the rural areas surrounding Bartlett. The first section of the line, which was to serve 110 farm homes, became operative in March 1936. Power was provided by the city’s municipal light plant, which had been built two years earlier.
As the first REA project in Texas and the first in the nation to be energized under an REA loan, the Bartlett Electric Cooperative played an important role in the modernization of area farms.
Erected 1985
this page online
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Industry & Commerce. In addition, it is included in the Rural Electrification 💡 series list. A significant historical month for this entry is March 1936.
Location. 30° 50.23′ N, 97° 24.536′ W. Marker is in Bartlett, Texas, in Bell County. Marker is at the intersection of State Highway 95 and Linderman Road, on the right when traveling south on State Highway 95. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 27492 TX-95, Bartlett TX 76511, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 3 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Site of German-English School (approx. 2 miles away); St. John Lutheran Church (approx. 2.1 miles away); Site of Booker T. Washington School (approx. 2.8 miles away); The Woman's Study Club of Holland (approx. 2.9 miles away); Holland Community (approx. 2.9 miles away); Bartlett Grammar School (approx. 3 miles away); First Baptist Church of Bartlett (approx. 3 miles away); City of Bartlett (approx. 3.1 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Bartlett.
Photographed By Keith Peterson, March 20, 2010
2. Bartlett Electric Cooperative
Credits. This page was last revised on November 2, 2020. It was originally submitted on March 20, 2010, by Keith Peterson of Cedar Park, Texas. This page has been viewed 1,347 times since then and 109 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on March 20, 2010, by Keith Peterson of Cedar Park, Texas. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.
