Old Folsom Powerhouse-Sacramento Station A

This is where the power arrived. Station A was built in 1894 to receive whatever Folsom sent, and the first current came through on 13 July 1895. Sacramento marked it that September with a Grand Electric Carnival, which is a thing a city does exactly once, when the lights are new enough to be worth a parade. The same current ran the first overhead-wire streetcars in the Central Valley. The plaque calls it the first distribution point of electricity for a major city.

What the plaque says

Old Folsom Powerhouse Sacramento Station A The first distribution point of electricity for a major city, Station A was constructed in 1894. Built by the Sacramento Electric Power and Light Company to receive power generated from Folsom Powerhouse. The first transmission of electricity was on July 13, 1895. This power distribution network resulted in the first overhead wire streetcar system in the Central Valley. California Registered Historical Landmark No. 633-2 Plaque placed by the California Department of Parks and Recreation August 4, 1970

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Sacramento — 0.5 mi
  The Gold Rush river port that became the state capital, and jacked itself ten feet into the air to stop drowning.

More markers nearby

• Site of First African Methodist Episcopal Church on the Pacific Coast — steps away
• Site of First and Second State Capitols at Sacramento — steps away
• Site of Congregational Church — steps away
• Site of China Slough — steps away