Virginia Electric and Power Company
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Virginia Electric and Power Company (VEPCO) has played an active role in Virginia's electrification since 1909.
After Stonewall Mill was shut down in 1930, all of Woodstock's electricity was provided by Old Rush's Mill and Valley Light and Power Company, a nearby rival hydroelectric plant. But the time of small hydroelectric generation had come and gone. Both companies were purchased by VEPCO and shut down in the 1950's. Woodstock was then wired into the national grid, with its electric needs now provided by distant plants.
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 Light pole at Old Rush's Mill. Personal collection (2013). Click to enlarge. |
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The Shenandoah Herald oddly foreshadowed the demise of hydroelectricity in the 1950's, as seen when it said in 1903 about the addition of electricity:
"Others take their places, and the world moves on. Soon they will be forgotten and those who are so active now will follow their footsteps first into retirement and then, oblivion. Such is the way of the world." Old Rush's Mill became a silent reminder of the origins of electricity in Woodstock. In the 1970's, it was rehabilitated and was once again operational, but only for a short period of time. In 2012, Old Rush's Mill was given another chance to produce electricity with a second rehabilitation. Old Rush's Mill is not ready for retirement and proves itself a hydroelectric phoenix.
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