Power of Community - Pedernales Electric Cooperative

Our History

Fifty years after the first commercial electric station opened in San Francisco, California, much of the Texas Hill Country remained without electric service. Kerosene lamps were the only source of illumination for homes, farms and ranches. Providing electricity to rural farms and ranches was simply not profitable for suppliers.

Roll over the years below to see how PEC illuminated the Hill Country and has helped our region grow and prosper for more than 70 years.

1935

President Franklin D. Roosevelt believed farmers and ranchers should have electricity. In 1935, he established the Rural Electrification Administration (REA) to help fund the delivery of electricity to rural areas. Even then, population requirements and a shortage of funding kept the Hill Country in the dark.

1937

Lyndon B. Johnson, a 28-year-old Congressman, and E. Babe Smith, a Hill Country rancher, brought the region hope. Johnson lobbied the Roosevelt administration for funding and fought its population requirements while Smith canvassed the Hill Country to sign up farmers and ranchers for electric service. PEC’s early Board of Directors stand outside PEC headquarters with Lyndon B. Johnson.

1938

The efforts of Johnson and Smith were successful. On Sept. 27, 1938, with about 3,000 Hill Country families signed up for electric service, Pedernales Electric Cooperative was awarded a $1,332,000 loan to build nearly 1,800 miles of electric lines. That grueling task was assigned to PEC’s hardworking linemen.

1939

PEC’s membership and service grew rapidly. PEC’s first headquarters building was erected in Johnson City in 1939. In the 1940s, PEC became the largest member-owned co-op in the world.

1948

As a young man running for the U.S. Senate, Johnson went the extra mile to show people the benefits of electricity.

1961

Here Johnson is shown in front of PEC headquarters during a 1961 trip to Johnson City as Vice President of the United States.

1978

In December 1978, the operating agreement between LCRA and PEC ended.

1981

November: PEC connects 50,000 meter

1986

Renovated the Johnson City headquarters building and dedicated it to E. Babe Smith in June 1986.

1992

Headquarters employees surpassed one million hours without a lost-time accident. 

1995

In November 1995, PEC took a significant step toward increasing reliability by utilizing 60-ton portable substations capable of generating 27 megavolts.

1997

After the worst ice storm in company history, PEC mobilized and worked around the clock for several days to restore power to about 38,000 members in January 1997.

PEC installed underwater cable in Lake LBJ to provide members with an alternate source of electricity.

2011

On Aug. 26, 2011, PEC hosted a ceremony Honoring LBJ’s Legacy: Lighting the Hill Country. The event featured the unveiling of an Official Texas Historical Marker honoring former President Lyndon B. Johnson for his tireless dedication to bringing electricity to the rural Texas Hill Country.

2013

2013 marks the Co-op’s 75th anniversary. You can help us celebrate, remember and preserve the memories of our Co-op by sharing your stories and photos. Call (830) 868-4961 to share your memories, or email your story and photos to PECmemory@peci.com.

Instructions

Roll over the dots to see how PEC illuminated the Hill Country and has helped our region grow and prosper for more than 70 years.