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    HandleyLibrary PDF

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    Laura Emery
    Handley Library was an early adopter of electric lighting when it opened in 1913, making it one of the first public buildings in Winchester to be wired for electric lights. This was notable at the time as electric lighting was still new. The original architectural plans from the electric company were later donated to the library. In 1929, to celebrate Thomas Edison's light bulb anniversary, the power company illuminated the library with spotlights for over a week, attracting many visitors. Over the past century, Handley Library has upgraded its electric systems to power modern technologies like computers.

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    HandleyLibrary PDF

    Uploaded by

    Laura Emery
    130 views1 page
    Handley Library was an early adopter of electric lighting when it opened in 1913, making it one of the first public buildings in Winchester to be wired for electric lights. This was notable at the time as electric lighting was still new. The original architectural plans from the electric company were later donated to the library. In 1929, to celebrate Thomas Edison's light bulb anniversary, the power company illuminated the library with spotlights for over a week, attracting many visitors. Over the past century, Handley Library has upgraded its electric systems to power modern technologies like computers.

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    Handley Library story. August 2013 issue of Cooperative Living magazine.

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    HandleyLibrary.pdf

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    Handley Library was an early adopter of electric lighting when it opened in 1913, making it one of the first public buildings in Winchester to be wired for electric lights. This was notable at the time as electric lighting was still new. The original architectural plans from the electric company were later donated to the library. In 1929, to celebrate Thomas Edison's light bulb anniversary, the power company illuminated the library with spotlights for over a week, attracting many visitors. Over the past century, Handley Library has upgraded its electric systems to power modern technologies like computers.

    Copyright:

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    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    130 views1 page

    HandleyLibrary PDF

    Uploaded by

    Laura Emery
    Handley Library was an early adopter of electric lighting when it opened in 1913, making it one of the first public buildings in Winchester to be wired for electric lights. This was notable at the time as electric lighting was still new. The original architectural plans from the electric company were later donated to the library. In 1929, to celebrate Thomas Edison's light bulb anniversary, the power company illuminated the library with spotlights for over a week, attracting many visitors. Over the past century, Handley Library has upgraded its electric systems to power modern technologies like computers.

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    A Century of Electric Light at Handley Library

    A favorite story around the library is about the original architectural plans for constructing the library. In the early 1960s, Edward K. Miller, property manager of the Northern Virginia Power Company at 14 North Loudoun Street, came to Librarian David Rowland with a huge roll of drawings. by Brenda Sanford Diehl, Contributing Writer Here, these belong to you, he told Mr. Rowland. Apparently, the original pen-and-ink Handley Library opened its doors for floor plans on linen had been kept for the first time to the public on Aug. 21, 1913, decades in the attic of the companys buildduring an evening celebration made even ing. These drawings later served as an invalumore special by all of the electric lights that able resource for the 1979 addition and the had been installed. Electrical lighting today 1999 renovation. The drawings have now is commonplace, but in 1913, things were been preserved in the Stewart Bell, Jr. quite different. Archives. Prints of these drawings have been Even though Thomas Edison demonmade possible through funding from a Meredstrated the first electric light bulb in 1879, ith Green bequest, and are available on the liHandley Library was still one of the first pubbrarys website for purchase: www. lic buildings in Winchester to be constructed handleyregional.org. with wiring for elecIn a recent presentrical lights. The tation, Library Director Evening Star charTrish Ridgeway reacterized the citys lated a story about the new library with 1979 addition to Handescriptions like dley Library where the brilliant with hunoriginal chandeliers dreds of electric and wall sconces were lights, and the removed and reTimes-Dispatch in placed by a large, Richmond reported Colonial Williamsburg on Aug. 23, 1913, chandelier and wall that the library was sconces. Preservation Brilliantly illumiof Historic Winchester nated from dome wrote a letter to city to basement with The 1929 illumination of council and to the lihundreds of elecHandley Library brary board insisting tric lights that those fixtures The original must go. The original lighting in the Rotunda installation of electrical fixtures was done by was restored, and the Colonial fixtures were Enos Electric Fixture Company of New York eventually sold. Handley Library is early through local agent John H. Snyder. It was 20th-century Beaux-Arts style architecture, the largest contract for fixtures that had ever not Colonial. been awarded in Winchester. The original On Aug. 24th this year, Handley Relighting fixtures in the rotunda, which are still gional Library will host a centennial celebrain use today, bear the patent number of tion, and this time the most prominent story Thomas Edison. Unfortunately, electrical in the news will not be about the hundreds lights were identified as one source of the of electric lights in the building. A lot has cost overruns during construction! changed in the past 100 years and light In 1929, on the 50th anniversary of Edibulbs are not as newsworthy as they were in sons incandescent light bulb, the Northern the early 20th century! Virginia Power Company put Handley Library started out on the cut30 large, electric spotlights on Handley Liting edge of incandescent lighting in Winbrary, illuminating it for more than a week. chester, and has since added many more People came from around the region to see electric lights and upgraded power for the the wondrous site. Librarian C. Vernon building to handle all of the latest electrical Eddy took a picture of the spotlights on the inventions such as computers, copiers, and library and sent it to Thomas Edison, who other office equipment. What will the next replied that Handley Library was one of century bring in electrical technology and the most beautiful buildings that I have ever innovation? n seen.

    Sources: Handley Regional Library: The First One Hundred Years, Winchester, Va., 2013. Untold Stories of the Library, presentation by Pat Ritchie and Trish Ridgeway, April 2013.

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