Obituary - Edwin A. Allen
Edwin Allen, 92, Installer of First Lighting System, Dies.
Edwin A. Allen (37531 bytes)EDWIN A. ALLEN, 92 of 522 N. Academy St., a former
electrician and electrical contractor, who installed the first street electric
lighting system in Galesburg, died Thursday at 12:30 pm at the Good Samaritan
Home, Knoxville. He had been ill eight weeks. The system which Allen installed
to inaugurate street lighting by electricity was located in the center of the
Public Square. It consisted of a tall pole, to which five arc lights were
attached. Electricity for the lights was provided by a generator, placed near
Central Church. The generator was acquired from George Westinghouse, with whom
Allen had worked on the lighting system for the Columbian Exposition in 1892 at
Chicago. Following the exposition, Westinghouse founded the present Westinghouse
Electric Co.
Recall Street Cars...
Allen also installed the first motors on streetcars in Galesburg, when just
prior to 1900, horse drawn-cars were converted into cars operated by
electricity. He also was the electrical contractor on the former post office
building at Simmons and Cherry streets, Central Church, and Public Library when
it was constructed a half century ago. When he retied from his own business,
Allen became a salesman for various electrical and technical firms. He was born
Dec. 9, 1865 in Log City, north of Galesburg in Knox County, and was a lifelong
resident of this community. He attended Knox College for three years, starting
in 1886 and was a member of the 50-Year Club. He was married Dec. 27, 1894 in
Galesburg to Desdemona Burkhalter [the Illinois Statewide Marriage Index lists a
Edwin A. Allen marrying a Desdemona Burkhalter in Knox County on December 27,
1894]. He was a member of the Knox County Home Workshop Club.
Survivors are a son, James B. Allen, president of the Galesburg Building Trades
Council; four grandchildren and nine great grandchildren.
Funeral services will be conducted Saturday at 2 p.m. in the First and Puckett
Funeral Home and burial will be in Linwood Cemetery. Friends may call this
evening at the funeral home. The Rev. Kermit W. Petersen, pastor of first
Presbyterian Church, officiated and organ music was by Mrs. Michael Gravino.
Pallbearers were Martin Allen, James Miller, John Miller, and George Dietrick.
Contributed by great-granddaughter, Micky Miller Dawson, extracted from Galesburg Register 1958 Oct 03.
