Discover & Learn

The Power House, 1910

Like the nearby Fire House, this structure was built with a wooden frame and pressed metal shingles. The building originally contained an electric generating system consisting of storage batteries and a gasoline engine that ran a direct-current generator. Two 500-gallon gas tanks and one 1,500-gallon gas tank were located outside the building. This system provided electricity for the Village, powering the lights in 16 buildings.

In 1925, the Shakers had Concord Wiring and Supply Co. run an alternating-current electric line from Loudon, New Hampshire, to the Power House (a distance of five miles). The Village then purchased electricity directly from the New Hampshire Power Co., but kept the Power House ready in case of emergencies.

In 1937 it was decided that it would cost too much to replace the plates and separators in the Power House and the batteries were sold. In 1940, the gasoline engine was sold and the building was renovated and used as an office.

Today the Power House is open to the public and used as a family activity center.