DUANE
Duane's take
The way the marker tells it, here's the story of the Brownfield Municipal Power Plant. Now, picture rural Texas in the 1920s — most of it still dark after sundown, lantern light and starlight and not much else. The town of Brownfield incorporated in 1920, and right away these folks had big ideas.
Just one year later, they put a vote to the citizens: issue bonds, build a power plant, bring the lights on. And the citizens said... no. Voted it right down.
Now, that would have stopped a lot of towns cold. But not Brownfield. A group of residents, undeterred — and that word is right there on the marker, undeterred — went and formed a light and ice company.
See, many electrical plants of the time were linked to ice manufacturing, so these folks were thinkin' about the whole picture. They worked to get a new bond package together, went back to the voters, and in 1921 — same year as that first rejection — the citizens of Brownfield overwhelmingly approved the new bonds for a municipal plant. Overwhelmingly.
Whatever happened between those two votes, it worked. Building began, and by 1923, Brownfield had electricity. That's what determination looks like.
The plant ran for decades, finally closing in 2003, but it didn't just disappear — it's maintained to this day as a distribution control center. The lights are still on in Brownfield. They just never quit.
What the marker says
During the 1920s, when much of rural Texas was still without electricity, the town of Brownfield took a leap toward modernization. The town incorporated in 1920 and one year later held a vote on the issuance of bonds for the creation of a power plant. Citizens voted against the proposal, but undeterred, a group of residents formed a light and ice company – many electrical plants of the time were linked to ice manufacturing – and worked to get a new bond package. In 1921, voters overwhelmingly approved new bonds for a municipal plant. Building soon began, and by 1923, Brownfield had electricity. The plant closed in 2003 but is maintained as a distribution control center. (2006)