BGE HOME history

The Gas Light Company continued to lose money, and by 1818 the company had exhausted its capital.

In 1822, using a process already established in England, the company began manufacturing gas from coal.

The use of gas meters was underway in some homes by 1834, despite widespread opposition by members of the public, who did not trust the accuracy of gas meters.

Meanwhile, the city was still inadequately lit due to the cost of laying pipes, and by 1850 critics of the company, including Baltimore's mayor, voiced complaints.

Peoples' did not begin to operate until 1871, however, due first to internal disagreements among its founders, then to the Civil War.

In 1876 another contender in the increasingly profitable industry was formed--Consumers Mutual Gas Light Company of Baltimore.

In 1886 the Maryland legislature restricted competition among gas companies by making it more difficult to establish a new company.

In 1904 the city was devastated by the Great Baltimore Fire.

Chairman S. Davies Warfield made good use of New York investors' capital and thus launched the direct predecessor of BGE. General Ferdinand C. Latrobe became president, serving until 1910.

In 1921 a contract was formed between Consolidated, United Railways & Electric Company and Pennsylvania Water & Power Company, under which all of Baltimore's electric power was organized under one management.

The company's Gould Street generating station began service in 1927, and was the first of the city's power plants to burn pulverized coal.

In 1928 the company further diversified with the purchase of the Terminal Freezing & Heating Company.

Charles M. Cohn became president of Consolidated in 1942, serving four years.

The company set a record for new property expenditures in 1948--more than $21 million.

Also in 1950, Charles P. Crane became president, with Schmidt continuing as chairman.

In 1951 the 20-year effort to convert Baltimore's electric system from direct current (DC) to alternating current (AC) was completed.

The second unit began operation in 1977.

Demand had continued to grow, and in 1981 the Safe Harbor Hydroelectric Project started a four-year expansion project.

In 1983 about 60 percent of the company's operating revenue was in electric power sales, and around the same time gas sales began to slump.

The Brandon Shores Unit Number 1--a coal-burning electricity-generating plant--opened in 1984, helping to eliminate the company's dependence on foreign oil.

Calvert Cliffs' second unit was shut down in 1989, after stress and erosion cracks were discovered.

With the startup of Calvert Cliffs' second unit in 1991, BGE's prospects improved.

Baltimore Gas and Electric formed BGE Home Products & Services in 1994 to run its existing gas-furnace repairs and appliance stores, which numbered 11 at the time, and bought a large Columbia contractor to boost its services business.