The Night Alexandria Cheered When 40 Electric Streetlights Came On
On Sept. 17, 1889, Alexandrians gathered in the streets to see something astonishing: 40 electric streetlights coming to life for the first time.
ALEXANDRIA, VA — Any evening now looks perfectly ordinary in Alexandria: lamps glowing over sidewalks, headlights moving along city streets and windows shining after sunset.
Exactly 137 years ago, it was anything but ordinary.
On the evening of Sept. 17, 1889, Alexandria switched on its first 40 electric streetlights. Crowds gathered to watch—and cheered when the new lights cast what observers described as a steady, almost white glow.
The City’s Office of Historic Alexandria highlighted the anniversary in its current “This Week in Historic Alexandria” bulletin.
The electricity came from a plant at the old gasworks. The lights, mounted approximately 20 feet above the streets, were rated at 1,500 candlepower.
For residents accustomed to gas lamps and darker streets, the display represented more than a municipal upgrade. It was a glimpse of a new age arriving in their own neighborhood.
A City Comes Into the Electric Age
Today, streetlighting is easy to notice only when it fails. In 1889, reliable electric light promised safer travel after dark, brighter commercial streets and a dramatic change in how residents experienced the city at night.
The spectacle also carried a bit of suspense. Early electrical systems were still novel, and a citywide public demonstration could have become a very visible failure.
Instead, the lights held steady—and Alexandria applauded.
The original 40 lamps are long gone, and the city’s lighting technology has changed many times since then. But anyone walking beneath the lights of King Street today is retracing a moment when artificial daylight still felt like magic.
It may be worth looking up.
The Date to Remember
- What happened: Alexandria’s first 40 electric streetlights were switched on
- Date: Sept. 17, 1889
- Anniversary: Thursday, Sept. 17, 2026 — 137 years later
- Source: Office of Historic Alexandria
