The development of hydroelectric plants was widespread in the early 20th century. Some provided power to private industries, others to railway systems and the public. Among them was the Athol-Orange Power Plant at Wendell Depot.

In 1909, W. G. Webber of Boston purchased and merged the Orange Electric Light Company with Athol Gas Company to create the Athol Gas and Electric Company (AG&E), according to Edward Hines, president of the Wendell Historical Society.

Webber then purchased the Wendell hydroelectric plant, located on the Millers River, and installed two 13,000-volt transmission lines connecting Wendell Depot and the Electric Street plant in Athol, through Orange. Webber then secured a contract to supply electric service to the Northern Massachusetts Street Railway, which ran from Fitchburg to Orange.

To meet the new electrical demands, a 200-foot long, 20-foot high concrete dam was built adjacent to the hydroelectric plant at Wendell Depot. It had 12 floodgates with an overflow of approximately five feet and a tunnel running from a power house, under a flume and through the dam, large enough for a person to walk through. The plant cost $200,000 (over $6 million today) and the generators could produce 1,000 kilowatts of power (1 megawatt). It was upgraded in 1912 when backup steam generators were added. A second hydroelectric plant on the same line was located in Farley, where there was another dam. It was taken down in 1940.

The plant provided electricity for the street railway system in Orange, Athol and beyond to Fitchburg, as well as the towns of Athol and Orange.

“Originally, Wendell was supposed to receive electrical service, but it never happened,” said Hines. “In fact, Wendell did not ‘turn on the lights’ until 1945.”

The Wendell Depot plant barely survived the flood of 1936, but the hurricane and flood of 1938 – which caused widespread damage all over New England – overwhelmed the plant and all of the surrounding buildings. AG&E determined that the dam was not repairable and removed it in 1939.

“Wendell Depot was never the same after September 1938,” said Hines. “The power plant provided 70% of the town’s tax revenue, which was gone once the plant was removed. Buildings were lost. Literally one half of the village was swept away in the flood, including a large swath of hillside adjacent to the river. The area where the canal was located was completely wiped out.”

Wendell nearly went bankrupt by 1940, Hines added. There was no money to repair the damage to the depot or to rebuild it, and a large piece of land was taken by the river.

“The huge loss of revenue meant the town had to turn to the state for help,” he said.

In 1951, AG&E merged with six other central Massachusetts companies to form the Worcester County Electric Company.

A talk entitled “Troubled Waters: Wendell’s Doomed Power Plant (1909-1938)” will take place on Tuesday, July 23, at 6:30 p.m. at the Wendell Town Hall at 6 Center St. Speakers will be Wendell Historical Society board members Pam Richardson, Hines and Joseph Coll. The event is presented by the historical society and co-sponsored by the Wendell Free Library.

Carla Charter is a freelance writer from Phillipston. Her writing focuses on the history of the North Quabbin area. Contact her at cjfreelancewriter@earthlink.net.