Auglaize Hydroelectric Plant . . .

The Auglaize Hydroelectric Plant (aka the Power Dam by the locals) is located south of Defiance OH on, where else, the Auglaize River. It was completed back in 1912.  I grew up just a few miles east of it.  I was always fascinated by it and very curious about it.  When I moved back to NW Ohio a few years ago, I spent some time in the Defiance Library looking for information.  All I could find were some newspaper articles written about it's construction.  It was built by a company from Boston.  They brought in Italian laborers.  Several bars had to be built because as one of the articles stated, 'those Italians weren't gonna work, if they couldn't have their beer.'  

The plant has been sold, closed and reopened several times during the last hundred years.  During the 1990's, Bryan Municipal Utilities purchased, refurbished it and built 20-25 miles power lines to Bryan.  Bryan has purchased electricity form various sources almost since Bryan has been a city.  They completed a sizeable solar panel field a couple years ago and are planning another.

Last I week I got my big chance to finally see what is inside that old brick building during an open house.  


I parked my truck, got out and took this shot.  Unfortunately I was unable to get a decent shot of everything from the downriver side of it due to the angle of the sun. 


A shot of the front corner of the power house.


This is western half of the dam.  I was standing over the spillways/ generating section of the dam.  This part was originally an earthen dam.  The Great Flood of 1913 took it out.  That flood did a lot of local damage in this area.  It is difficult to believe how far the flood waters spread from the banks of the Auglaize and Maumee Rivers, but the old pics don't lie. 


This is looking downstream towards Defiance.  Bank erosion has caused the road along the river to be moved to the east more than once over the years.  Don't know if I would have built that house there, but then maybe the bank doesn't erode much there.  


This is the power house from the middle of the river.  Not many people have seen view.


One of the generators in the power house.  They wouldn't let me or anyone else go downstairs to where the working part of these generators are.  Guess you hafta know the right people.  I always wanted to go down into the salt mines below Lake Erie around Cleveland, but the closest I ever came was meeting a secretary who worked for the mining company at the neighbor's house.  She said she had no 'pull' either.  

I don't recall if there are six or seven generators.  I'm thinkin there were three when the dam was built.  When it is time for a 'rebuild, ' they always rebuild them in such as way to produce more power.