History

Hendricks Power Cooperative celebrated its 65th anniversary in 2001. Formed in 1936, following the creation of Franklin D. Roosevelt's Rural Electrification Administration (REA), Hendricks Power Cooperative started with a small meeting of 12 people, farmers and rural residents unable to convince the local utility, which was owned by investors, to build lines to serve them. They claimed it simply wasn't profitable to provide service to such sparsely-populated areas.

The Hendricks County Farm Bureau Co-op was instrumental in organizing early meetings and shared their Main Street office space with the REMC in the early days. The name Hendricks County Rural Electric Membership Corporation (REMC) was adopted, as the cooperative slowly grew. Three houses or farms per mile was the minimum density required for the REA to approve the distribution of funds for line construction.

The formal organization of Hendricks County REMC took place on May 22, 1936. Simultaneously, wiring classes were being conducted at night for farmers and other residents interested in preparing homes and farms for electricity. The fee for the classes, paid by each individual, was 25 cents.

Construction of electric lines started in the summer of 1937. A kerosene lamp was ceremoniously thrown in the hole in celebration. On January 1, 1938, the first section of line, 122 miles long, was energized. That day, approximately 400 members received power to their homes and farms for the first time. Today, Hendricks Power Cooperative maintains 1,556 miles of line in Hendricks, Putnam, Morgan and Montgomery counties.