Methodist women said, "Let there be light"

There's not much left of Oakley these days and its Methodist church has long since closed, but the story of how the village ladies aid kept it supplied with electricity at a crucial time lingers on --- thanks to a small front-page story in The Herald-Patriot of Sept. 4, 1930.

This was a time of transition for the providers of electric power in the south of Iowa. Previously, most  bigger towns had operated their own "light plants" and many sold excess power to smaller neighbors. But now, these town utilities were being purchased and consolidated by companies like Iowa Southern Utilities.

Farmers for the most part remained in the dark. Emerging utility companies did not think it practical to construct the distribution system needed to add them to the grid and often had doubts about smaller incorporated places, too. This would not be rectified until after the Rural Electrification Administration was created in 1936 to light up the countryside. 

Here's the Herald-Patriot report of how the Oakley Methodist Ladies Aid saved the day when Iowa Southern Utilities threatened to drop their village from the grid:

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The Iowa Southern Utilities Co. this week purchased the lighting equipment of the town of Oakley and added this unit to the list of communities to whom they are furnishing satisfactory service. Announcement of the purchase was made by Harold Mann, local manager of the company, and aside from the cold facts of the transaction there is an interesting story that goes therewith.

It is a story of the progressiveness and determination of the ladies aid society of the Methodist church in Oakley, former owners of the lighting equipment. As far as is known, operation of  light and power plants is not the usual custom of ladies aid societies and it is believed the Oakley women are pioneers in this line.

Quilting bazaars, church dinners and the like are ordinarily considered the proper function for such societies, and the Oakley ladies are accustomed to their usual quota of such activities; but when they saw their little village about to lose the advantages of modern lighting and power facilities they stepped into the breach and took over the job.

Oakley for a number of years secured its electric current from the neighboring town of Lacona. Not so long ago, Lacona sold their lines to the Iowa Southern Utilities Co. and Oakley was to be without electric service. And here is where the ladies aid came to the rescue.

They purchased transformers and all the other equipment necessary for conducting the electricity from the Iowa Southern Utilities line to the town of Oakley. The progressiveness of the church women kept Oakley  lighted with electricity and supplied with electric power, and also made their organization extremely popular with the townspeople.

The sale of the equipment to the Iowa Southern Co. this week insures Oakley of continued service and relieves the ladies of the unnecessary burden of lighting system management. They may now redouble their efforts at quilting, church dinners, bazaars and the like, but they have won a lasting place in the hearts of the townspeople by their stepping into the breach and keeping the electricity running into the little village.