There was never a thought: we need a power utility. The course of history that led to the creation of GP&L is much more interesting.
 
Only a few cities in North Texas have their own power utilities. Garland Power & Light is among the largest municipally-owned utilities in the state. Every city in the area except Greenville and Denton relies upon TXU for power. TXU is the result of numerous mergers over the years but primarily descends from Texas Power & Light.
 
I recently learned of a small booklet entitled Charlie Newman and the Town Pump. Originally printed in 1966 by the Garland Civic Action Association, it details the life of C. E. Newman, for whom the power plant east of Downtown is named. I have reproduced a portion of the booklet below, with permission, that describes the beginnings of GP&L.
 

Copyright © 1966 by William P Lord. All rights reserved.

The Town Pump

By Bill Lord
 
At the turn of the century, Garland was its way. Large antebellum-type homes had already marked Garland as "The City of Beautiful Homes." Cotton gins were running at full capacity, and the cotton lots were beehives of activity. Business was being transacted in hundreds of thousands of dollars at a time.
 
Buildings destroyed in the disastrous fire of November 30, 1889, had been rebuilt. World War I increased the booming cotton business, and brick buildings began to make an appearance here and there.
 
At the end of the war, a new generation began to take its place in civic activities; the voice of youth was making itself heard.
 
One of the most pressing needs was a water system. Every home and business had its own well; some had windmills to fill a cistern, providing running water. A large well had been dug under the town square to serve as the town well. Its main use was providing water for bucket-brigade fire fighting, and for watering troughs.
 
Electricity was a new, almost novel, thing in the town. Many homes had small Delco and Homelite generators to supply electric lights. A larger generator was operated to supply electricity to business houses on the square.
 
Street lights were unheard of in the area; however, by 1915 the uses of electricity had increased until it seemed feasible to install some street lights and make electricity available on a larger scale.

"1954 — Final expansion of the diesel plant. Building on the left was added to house the 4800-hp Nordberg unit [engine and generator]. Old city jail is the small building on the far right. Next building housed the original town pump and served as the fire station."   [The old diesel power plant and old city jail still exist one block south of the square, across from the Senior Center. The water tower is no longer there.]

 
Mayor George A. Alexander agreed to-grant a franchise to Texas Power and Light Co. (TP&L) to install four street lights on the town square and to serve such other customers as necessary. A 50-year franchise was signed on August 2, 1915 — a simple, single-page document.
 
A water system was to be more than a convenience. Business men and insurance companies had long memories going back to the fire of 1889. Insurance rates could be reduced significantly if a water system was available for fire fighting.
 
Two 30-gallon, soda-and-acid fire extinguishers mounted on a hand cart were the extent of City fire equipment. Cliff R. Smith headed the volunteer fire department.
 
The two fire extinguishers were mounted on a Model T Ford pickup truck in 1918. There were millions of dollars of cotton to be protected and the insurance companies were not particularly impressed with Garland's Fire Department.
 
Conversations turned more and more to the possibility of a water system after World War I was over. There were pros and cons on the matter; feelings sometimes ran high. W.E. Peavy, Sr., was a young man of 30 at the time and active in civic affairs. He became so active in promoting the water system that his father refused to speak to him for six months, after having said, "You young whipper-snappers are going to bankrupt the town with your newfangled ideas."
 
Talk gave way to action, and a $100,000 bond issue was voted. The engineering firm of Nagle, Whitt, and Rollins surveyed the requirements, and drew up the plans.
 
A 75,000-gallon undergound storage tank and a 75,000-gallon overhead tank were recommended. Electric power for the pumps would be available from TP&L lines; however, to get the best insurance rates the city was required by the state Fire Insurance Commission to have standby power in case of power line failure. A small 75-horsepower engine and generator would satisfy this requirement.
 
Excitement ran high. Business men were already counting increased profits from lower insurance rates. Housewives would be spared the chores of drawing water, and the prospect of sewage disposal meant that Garland was going to be a first-class little town.
 
The overhead tank was 135 feet high and could be seen from many miles around. It was a constant source of pride for the town's citizens. People returning from Dallas, Pleasant Valley, Rowlett, and other towns around always looked for the tank, and felt a little closer to home when they spotted it.
 
A new well was dug to a depth of 2300 feet. Old timers tell that it is exactly 2,303 feet, 3 inches. A 4-1/2 inch casing has 1400 1/2-inch holes drilled at the water sand level. Drilling the 1400 holes is a story of civic pride.
 
The job took two weeks and was done on the second floor of Carl Brown's Ford agency. City Aldermen and businessmen hauled pipe like laborers. The story goes that Cecil Williams and Carl Brown (both millionaires today) drilled holes night and day for two weeks in an effort to get the job done as soon as possible.
 
Finally, it was all finished. The big pumps and electric motors were installed. A 75-horsepower Fairbanks-Morse diesel generator was purchased and was installed. Excitement mounted. Conversation changed from "How deep is the well?" to "When do you reckon the water will be turned on?"
 
Then, catastrophe. The pump motors could not be connected to the TP&L power lines.
 
TP&L would not grant a commercial rate to operate the town pump. It would cost $800 a month for 24-hour operation of the big motors at residential rates and the town just couldn't afford it.
 
A delegation of town officials went to call on the President of TP&L to try once more to negotiate a commercial rate. The President's secretary told the delegation there was nothing more to be said.
 
Garland was in trouble, bad trouble. The $100,000 bond money had been spent and the treasury contained $2.50, according to Carl Brown. To make matters worse, the motor for the town pump had been design to operate directly from the TP&L lines at a voltage of 2,300 volts, saving the cost of a transformer.
 
In this moment of desperation, the wheelhorses of the town went into action, and the town went into the power business. The Fairbanks-Morse Co. agreed to let the town have a 100-horsepower generator on credit if the town would put in its own power distribution system.
 
Twenty businessmen put up $1,000 each to finance the fledging power company and the town pump was in business.
 
Eighty-five percent of the people agreed to install electric lights and when Charlie Newman closed the big switch for the first time on April 1, 1923, Garland Power and Light had a proud little 115 kilowatts on the board.
 
Professional engineers made no effort to hide their amusement at Garland's efforts. Everyone knew that a staff of electrical engineers, mechanical engineers, and all sorts of highly skilled technicians were needed to operate a power plant. TP&L had a 50-year franchise and felt that the years would take their toll in Garland.
 
Two years and nine months later, the little Garland Power and Light System was paid for. Power and tax rates were reduced for the first time, and Garland people felt ten feet tall.
 
Garland had Charlie Newman, and Charlie Newman had faith. This combination could not fail.