William Stanley Plaque and Street Lamp - Great Barrington, MA
Posted by: 
neoc1
N 42° 11.912 W 073° 21.644
18T E 635339 N 4673120
A memorial street lamp and plaque honoring William Stanley is located on the east side of Route 7 north of Cottage Street in Great Barrington, MA
Waymark Code: WMHZTN
Location: Massachusetts, United States
Date Posted: 09/02/2013
Views: 2
William Stanley, Jr. was the chief engineer working for the Westinghouse Corporation and living in Great Barrington, MA. In 1886, he installed the first complete system of for high voltage alternating current transmission. He demonstrated the practicality of providing illumination to the business district of Great Barrington. His design is the forerunner of electrical systems used today.
In 1890 , he founded the Stanley Electric Manufacturing Company in Pittsfield, Massachusetts which was purchased, in 1903, by the General Electric Corporation.
The Massachusetts Electric Company installed bronze plaque and 19th century street lamp honoring William Stanley and commemorating his successful electrification of businesses in Great Barrington, MA using alternating current.
The bronze plaque on a granite base set under the memorial street light has an image of William Stanley and a transformer. It is inscribed:
MEMORIAL STREET LIGHT
erected by
MASSACHUSETTS ELECTRIC COMPANY
JUNE 28, 1986
in recognition of
WILLIAM STANLEY
and his contribution to the
ELECTRIC UTILITY INDUSTRY