First overhead-wire electric lighting system in Roselle, New Jersey

Background. Thomas Edison began working on an electrical lighting system in 1878, aiming to replace common gas lamps. He developed a commercially viable electric light bulb in 1879 and sought to create an electric utility to compete with existing gas light utilities. By 1883, Edison had begun a parallel construction business to build these systems for small towns around the country, setting the stage for installations like the one in Roselle.

Installation in Roselle. On January 19, 1883, the world's first electric lighting system employing overhead wires began service in Roselle, New Jersey. The installation came in the same year that Edison began a parallel construction business to build electric lighting systems for small towns around the country. The Roselle system's use of overhead wires is the feature for which it is recognized as the first of its kind.

Significance. The Roselle system was the first electric lighting system employing overhead wires to begin service anywhere. It formed part of Edison's broader effort, begun in 1878, to develop electrical illumination for large-scale commercial utilities. Edison had earlier demonstrated electric power distribution with generating stations in London and New York City in 1882, and the Roselle installation extended this work to a small-town setting.

Local Impact. The First Presbyterian Church in Roselle, located on the corner of West 5th Avenue and Chestnut Street, was the first church in the United States to be lit by electricity. It was the second in the world after the City Temple church in London, highlighting the immediate local adoption of the new technology.