Pontotoc Electric Power Association

As the second oldest rural electric cooperative in the United States, Pontotoc Electric Power Association has been “Pioneers in America’s Rural Electrification.” Since 1935, we’ve been distributing the power of electric energy to homes and schools, stores and offices, farms and factories across Northeast Mississippi.

Pontotoc Electric buys electricity generated by the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), and then distributes it for sale to our customers. This allows us to offer some of the lowest electric rates in the nation. We serve customers in a franchised area that extends into parts of five counties, which are Pontotoc, Calhoun, Union, Lafayette, and Chickasaw. Some customers are also served by mutual agreement in LeeCounty. Pontotoc Electric Power Association also serves the entire incorporated municipalities of Pontotoc, Bruce, Ecru, Pittsboro, Algoma and Toccopola.

The technology and equipment used to operate a power system has changed a lot over the years. However, one thing has not changed – the dedication of the employees and directors to provide our members with very reliable electric service at the lowest possible cost consistent with sound business practices.

We are proud of our past. As for the future, we remain focused on being Pioneers in America’s Rural Electrification.

History

Significant Historical Events of Pontotoc Electric Power Association by Chuck Howell

The first organizational meeting for Pontotoc County Electric Power Association was held on Saturday, September 30, 1933 at the Pontotoc County Courthouse. From this meeting, Mr. M. L. Higgs was named president and Mr. C. P. Shannon was named secretary [1]. On Friday, February 23, 1934, Pontotoc County Electric Power Association was legally incorporated under the laws of the State of Mississippi [2]. The newly created federal agency known as the Tennessee Valley Authority had purchased the assets of the Mississippi Power Company in the counties of Alcorn, Benton, Itawamba, Lee, Prentiss, Pontotoc, Tippah, and Union Counties in Northeast Mississippi for $850,743 during the first week of January 1934 [3]. Due to the high capital costs of line construction in rural areas with very low customer densities, Mississippi Power Company served only the towns proper and practically none of the rural areas in these counties. Following this purchase, the Tennessee Valley Authority began to erect rural distribution lines in Pontotoc County during 1934 to the rural communities of Springville, Randolph and Toccopola. At midnight between Thursday, February 28 and Friday, March 1, 1935, the Tennessee Valley Authority read a meter on a primary metering point located on State Highway 6 at the Lee-Pontotoc County line and officially transferred its interests in the electric distribution system to Pontotoc County Electric Power Association [4]. From this time forward, Pontotoc County Electric Power Association began supplying its consumers with electricity, thus becoming the second oldest rural electric cooperative in the United States. Alcorn County Electric Power Association, located at Corinth, Mississippi became the first rural electric cooperative in the United States and began serving customers on June 1, 1934 [5]. Prentiss County Electric Power Association, located at Booneville, Mississippi became the third rural electric cooperative in the United States and began serving customers on June 20, 1935 [6].
In 1936, Pontotoc County Electric Power Association extended its lines to Bruce and Pittsboro in Calhoun County. On August 14, 1936, the name was changed and re-incorporated as Pontotoc Electric Power Association to reflect a regional service territory instead of a one-county service territory [7].
The Board of Aldermen of the City of Pontotoc recommended the purchase of the first two traffic signals in June 1937 to be installed in downtown Pontotoc, according to an article published in The Pontotoc Progress newspaper on June 10, 1937. At that time, traffic signals only used red and green signals [8].
In June 1937, the headquarters for the crew of workmen who were to build a 44,000-volt transmission line from Tupelo to Sardis Dam was established in Pontotoc. Also, a part of this building program included the construction of a substation in Pontotoc, which was to be located a short distance west of town. The purpose of the new transmission line and substation was to regulate the voltage so that there would not be any variations at any time, regardless of how much current was being used [9]. The line was completed by August 15, 1937 and the new substation was complete with the exception of the oil switches which had not yet been delivered [10].