Great Hall Exhibitions
"Then One Day The Lights Came On"
The story of rural electrification is one of positive change that reduced disparities in the lives of
rural and urban dwellers.
Background: At the beginning of the Great Depression, the vast majority of rural communities across the U.S. had little or no access to electricity as the cost of connecting to private electric lines was prohibitive. In 1935, the federal government established the Rural Electrification Administration (REA) to support the formation of rural electric cooperatives. Over the following decades this initiative thoroughly transformed rural life, extending electricity to rural businesses, farms, schools and households and establishing a large network of utilities cooperatives that continue to provide services to rural communities today.
“ Then One Day The Lights Came On” is a largescale permanent exhibition situated in the center of the Museum’s main exhibition hall and in select Village buildings.
This handsome interactive exhibition explores the impact of rural electrification on Delaware agriculture and in the state’s rural communities from the time before electricity through our present-day focus on renewable, clean sources of energy.
- Curator: Heidi Nasstrom-Evans (Horizon Philanthropic) - Designer: Karen Carney (Art of Area Design) - Mural: Natalie McIntryre - ZeMod: Studio JAED -