Mount Union borough
The Night the Lights Came On
On August 20, 1905, the electric lights came on for the first time. Scott Dibert, president of the Mount Union Silica Brick Company, had brought electric light to the town through the Mount Union Light and Power Company. The two large dynamos sat in the engine room of the brick works itself, furnishing both day and night current to the streets.
It was a night long to be remembered. The electric lights glowed for the first time on Mount Union's streets. One man, one brick plant, two industries: the same works that burned to make fire brick across America also powered the lamps where families walked at night.
Did your family live here when those lights came on, or do you have stories passed down about the night Mount Union lit up?
Sources
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Checked 2026-09-24 · Historic Mount Union collection