Name/Title
Electric Street Light Base, 1887Entry/Object ID
1981.155.1Description
Acc. No. 81.155.1
Subject Category: Electricity, Bur. of
Date or period: 1887
Object: Base, electric street light
Description.
It is cast iron base with inner edge of screw-like ridges possibly for the insertion of the iron pole. It has four pedal like projections which have large rivet holes for anchorage.
Size: Measures at its widest 11"X 11", posthole had a 5½" across. It is 3" high.
History of Object: This is the base of one of the original electric light towers installed in 1887. The towers stood eighty feet high and were guyed by wire cables extending from four sides. There were thirteen towers located in different locations in the city of Alameda. Each tower had four arc lights. They were removed in 1906 and replaced by lights over various street crossings. These lights were then replaced by new standards in 1910.
Acquired from: Jennings Spencer,
General Manager of the Municipal Electric Light Plant, 1904-1951
Date: August, 1953Interpretative Labels
Label
ARC LIGHT POLE CAST IRON BASE
An original cast iron base that
supported a pole (tower) having
attached arc light lamps.
These poles were 80-ft. tall and each held four lamps, and there were a total of thirteen such poles.
They were in use from 1887 to 1906.