People, Power, Progress: Alabama Power opens exhibit celebrating state’s development
A large banner welcomes guests at the entrance to the exhibit. (Joey Blackwell / Alabama News Center)
At the end of the 19th century, more than 90% of Alabama had no access to electricity, with people still lighting their homes with candles or kerosene lanterns and most of the cooking still taking place over wooden stoves. However, on Dec. 4, 1906, the trajectory of the state changed forever with the founding of Alabama Power.
Founded by the company’s first president, William Patrick Lay, alongside James Mitchell and Thomas W. Martin, the company’s first steam plant opened in 1913 in Gadsden, followed the next year by its first hydroelectric dam in 1914. From there, the use of electricity in Alabama homes spread rapidly as the company developed its infrastructure.
Alabama Power’s Art Deco building in downtown Birmingham opened in 1925, symbolizing not just the growth of the company, but also the rapid development of the state. Built entirely out of materials from Alabama, the building commemorated not just the state’s past, but also its bright future that was destined to be filled with progress.
Now, almost exactly 118 years since its founding, the company is celebrating the progress of the state once again.
In early November, Alabama Power opened its first permanent exhibit on the ground floor of the 1925 Building titled For the Service of Alabama. The exhibit focuses on the central narrative of Alabama Power’s role in the development of the state and tells the story of the humanity that has enriched the company’s history.
To tell that story, the creators of the exhibit narrowed its focus to three key elements.
“I have always believed in art and in stories and narratives that there’s strength in odd numbers,” said Dan Bynum, a communications specialist for Alabama Power who worked on developing the exhibit. “I said, ‘Let’s divide this in three categories,’ so we did People, Power, Progress. One common thread that ran through each of those three was humanity, so if you look at the exhibit and each case, you’re going to see humanity. Not only with that back, large sepia image put in the back of each case, but also the items that are in there. All the items require handwork or touched by a human or created by a human, and we thought that was important — especially now more than ever.”
The exhibit features six cases — two cases each for the three categories — as well as some other larger appliances from the 20th century. Inside each case are a plethora of items, each connecting to their category, the company’s history and, most importantly, the humanity that ties them all together.
“In the cases, we decided to chock it full of as much as we could so it would kind of be visual overload,” Bynum said. “That way, when you get in that beautiful space and that Art Deco architecture, you’d have these little nooks where you would discover all these gems that tell our story.”
The cases dedicated to the People of Alabama are lined with artifacts that were merely common household objects in their time but help tell the story of the state’s development: a waffle iron, a coffee maker, an electric heater — all home appliances that we might take for granted now but were luxuries early in the state’s development.
Caitlin Bowron is an archivist for Alabama Power and helped create the narrative for the exhibit alongside Bynum. For Bowron, her favorite artifacts are the simplest.
“Most people at home don’t romanticize the toaster in their kitchen, but it’s a familiar object that we all have a connection with,” she said. “Appliances — especially kitchen appliances — those are things that we see every day that provide a service to us, and that’s exactly what Alabama Power was doing at the turn of the century: providing access to the state of Alabama with electricity. People could now do things faster and easier with these objects, and so I think it’s really cool to have artifacts like a waffle maker from 100 years ago.”
The Power cases feature artifacts revolving around generating and transmitting power across the state, while the Progress cases feature technology developed as the state progressed. Against a wall centered between the two People cases sits an old roll-top desk, the desk used by Martin while he served as the company’s president.
One wall of the exhibit space features a mural depicting a map of Alabama with the company’s dams highlighted. In the center of the space, a seven-foot statue of Electra stands proudly over the exhibit. The statue is a scale model of the 23-foot statue on top of the 16-story 1925 Building.
To Bowron, Electra’s presence ties the exhibit together.
“Electra, she is synonymous with Alabama Power, and she stands for progress and power, and she is a connection to the people, so she ties in our narrative for the exhibit,” Bowron said. “Being synonymous with Alabama Power, she was designed to be a landmark for the company and for the business but also a symbol for progress and hope. It’s very special to me that she is here and that we get to talk about her and people get to see her.”
For the Service of Alabama is open to the public and is free for guests. If guests are interested in visiting, they can stop by the security desk in the Alabama Power atrium at 600 18th St. North, Birmingham, AL 35203. Simply sign in and obtain a visitor badge. The exhibit also welcomes schools and larger tour groups but requests that interested parties reach out to Bowron directly at csbowron@southernco.com.
