William T. Powers (Michigan)
Encyclopedia
William Thompson Powers, manufacturer and capitalist, was born in Bristol, New Hampshire
, July 8, 1820, and died at 29 College Ave NE, the home of his daughter Mary Louisa (Powers) Spooner, in Grand Rapids, Michigan
, June 19, 1909. His parents Jonathan and Anna (Kendall) Powers, were natives of Groton
and Hebron, New Hampshire
. In 1826 the family moved to Lansingburgh, New York
, where he received a common school
education, and after he was eighteen years of age learned the trade of cabinet maker. He early showed aptness and skill at machine work, a faculty which ever after proved useful and profitable to him.
In June 1847, Powers and his family, then consisting of his wife and one child, William Henry, came to Grand Rapids following after "uncle" John Ball. His chief business capital at the time was a good trade, about $300, in cash, a pair of willing hands and a spirit of energy and determination. Here he began work in a small shop at the southeast corner of Fountain and Ionia streets, where he rented bench room. Soon afterward he secured better quarters by the east bank of the river above Bridge Street and began working by machinery, using water power; making furniture of nearly all kinds then produced, and chairs, not only for the home trade, but for exportation, and having a salesroom near the foot of Canal Street. About 1851 he formed a partnership with Ebenezer Morris Ball, under the firm name of Powers & Ball, in the furniture trade, their business place being near where is the south entrance to the Arcade.
In 1852 they built a sawmill
to which they added a larger structure for a factory, on Erie Street, where the business grew rapidly; soon giving work to some forty employees, and establishing an export trade in ready made stock for chairs, furniture and McCormick reapers. In January, 1855, this partnership was dissolved, and Mr. Powers turned his attention to lumbering, operating a steam mill with a circular saw, the first of its kind in this part of the state, which the firm had built above Leonard Street on the west bank of the river. About the same time he constructed a machine with a gang of circular saws for slitting thick plank into siding and flooring. Again he added furniture making to his business, and for a time before the Civil War
had an extensive sales room on Canal Street, near Erie.
In 1865 and 1866 he purchased the river frontage necessary and in the three following years constructed the West Side Water Power Canal, a description of which is given in Baxter's History of Grand Rapids, Michigan. Powers erected over thirty structure in Grand Rapids for houses, mills, stores, factories and other purposes. Most prominent among these is Powers’ Grand Opera House. Notable in his work, also, is the Arcade artesian well, where so many thousands daily partake of its refreshing waters, free — a public benefaction.
In 1880 he caused the organizing of an electric lighting plant and company to Grand Rapids, Michigan, the first city lighting by electricity in Michigan
. The works were operated chiefly by water power. The first industrial use of hydropower in the United States to generate electricity occurred in 1880, when 16 brush-arc lamps were powered using a water turbine at the Wolverine Chair Factory; operated by William H. Powers, his son. William T. Powers & Son in 1885 purchased and moved their operation to the Michigan Iron Works at the foot of Louis Street and the Grand River. He served as president of the Electric Light and Power Company for many years, later known as Consumers Electric Light and Power, which has become a part of Consumers Energy.
Indomitable and persistent industry and energy have marked the career of Mr. Powers in Grand Rapids; and besides his successful enterprises at home he was actively and prosperously engaged in the development of valuable properties in and near Spearfish, South Dakota
- the Black Hills
region - where he had a water power of some 300 to 400 horse power, some manufacturing buildings, and about 400 acres of land. While in Spearfish he had a saw mill, furniture factory, door and sash company, plaster mine, and mercantile store.
He exhibited great interest in the material growth and advancement of Grand Rapids. He was chosen City Treasurer in 1853 and again in 1854, serving two terms. In 1857 he was elected Mayor and served one term, during which he started and gave a lasting impetus to the system of street improvements that has been so prominent a factor in city development and progress. Similarly he stimulated municipal growth by his service in the Board of Public Works from 1873 to 1878, where he was prominent in the establishment of the water works system.
As a politician he never sought office, but was a steady and active adherent of the Democratic Party
.
Mr. Powers married, in 1839, at Troy, New York
, Louisa Hall, a native of London
, England. Of six children born to them, four were living in 1891 - William Henry, Sara Anna, Mary Louisa and Charles Ball Powers.
Bristol, New Hampshire
Bristol is a town in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 3,054 at the 2010 census. It is home to Wellington State Park, Sugar Hill State Forest, and Profile Falls on the Smith River...
, July 8, 1820, and died at 29 College Ave NE, the home of his daughter Mary Louisa (Powers) Spooner, in Grand Rapids, Michigan
Grand Rapids, Michigan
Grand Rapids is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. The city is located on the Grand River about 40 miles east of Lake Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 188,040. In 2010, the Grand Rapids metropolitan area had a population of 774,160 and a combined statistical area, Grand...
, June 19, 1909. His parents Jonathan and Anna (Kendall) Powers, were natives of Groton
Groton, New Hampshire
Groton is a town in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 593 at the 2010 census.- History :The town was originally named Cockermouth in honor of Charles Wyndham, Baron Cockermouth and Earl of Egremont, who was Secretary of State for the Southern Department from 1761 to...
and Hebron, New Hampshire
Hebron, New Hampshire
Hebron is a town in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 602 at the 2010 census. Settlements include the town center and the village of East Hebron.- History :...
. In 1826 the family moved to Lansingburgh, New York
Lansingburgh, New York
Lansingburgh was the first chartered village in Rensselaer County, New York, USA and was settled around 1763. The name is from Abraham Lansing, an early settler, combined with the Scottish word burgh....
, where he received a common school
Common school
A common school was a public school in the United States or Canada in the nineteenth century. The term 'common school' was coined by Horace Mann, and refers to the fact that they were meant to serve individuals of all social classes and religions....
education, and after he was eighteen years of age learned the trade of cabinet maker. He early showed aptness and skill at machine work, a faculty which ever after proved useful and profitable to him.
In June 1847, Powers and his family, then consisting of his wife and one child, William Henry, came to Grand Rapids following after "uncle" John Ball. His chief business capital at the time was a good trade, about $300, in cash, a pair of willing hands and a spirit of energy and determination. Here he began work in a small shop at the southeast corner of Fountain and Ionia streets, where he rented bench room. Soon afterward he secured better quarters by the east bank of the river above Bridge Street and began working by machinery, using water power; making furniture of nearly all kinds then produced, and chairs, not only for the home trade, but for exportation, and having a salesroom near the foot of Canal Street. About 1851 he formed a partnership with Ebenezer Morris Ball, under the firm name of Powers & Ball, in the furniture trade, their business place being near where is the south entrance to the Arcade.
In 1852 they built a sawmill
Sawmill
A sawmill is a facility where logs are cut into boards.-Sawmill process:A sawmill's basic operation is much like those of hundreds of years ago; a log enters on one end and dimensional lumber exits on the other end....
to which they added a larger structure for a factory, on Erie Street, where the business grew rapidly; soon giving work to some forty employees, and establishing an export trade in ready made stock for chairs, furniture and McCormick reapers. In January, 1855, this partnership was dissolved, and Mr. Powers turned his attention to lumbering, operating a steam mill with a circular saw, the first of its kind in this part of the state, which the firm had built above Leonard Street on the west bank of the river. About the same time he constructed a machine with a gang of circular saws for slitting thick plank into siding and flooring. Again he added furniture making to his business, and for a time before the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
had an extensive sales room on Canal Street, near Erie.
In 1865 and 1866 he purchased the river frontage necessary and in the three following years constructed the West Side Water Power Canal, a description of which is given in Baxter's History of Grand Rapids, Michigan. Powers erected over thirty structure in Grand Rapids for houses, mills, stores, factories and other purposes. Most prominent among these is Powers’ Grand Opera House. Notable in his work, also, is the Arcade artesian well, where so many thousands daily partake of its refreshing waters, free — a public benefaction.
In 1880 he caused the organizing of an electric lighting plant and company to Grand Rapids, Michigan, the first city lighting by electricity in Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
. The works were operated chiefly by water power. The first industrial use of hydropower in the United States to generate electricity occurred in 1880, when 16 brush-arc lamps were powered using a water turbine at the Wolverine Chair Factory; operated by William H. Powers, his son. William T. Powers & Son in 1885 purchased and moved their operation to the Michigan Iron Works at the foot of Louis Street and the Grand River. He served as president of the Electric Light and Power Company for many years, later known as Consumers Electric Light and Power, which has become a part of Consumers Energy.
Indomitable and persistent industry and energy have marked the career of Mr. Powers in Grand Rapids; and besides his successful enterprises at home he was actively and prosperously engaged in the development of valuable properties in and near Spearfish, South Dakota
Spearfish, South Dakota
Spearfish is a city in Lawrence County, South Dakota,United States. The population was 10,494 at the 2010 census.- History :Prior to the Black Hills Gold Rush of 1876, the area was used by Native Americans who would spear fish in the creek...
- the Black Hills
Black Hills
The Black Hills are a small, isolated mountain range rising from the Great Plains of North America in western South Dakota and extending into Wyoming, USA. Set off from the main body of the Rocky Mountains, the region is something of a geological anomaly—accurately described as an "island of...
region - where he had a water power of some 300 to 400 horse power, some manufacturing buildings, and about 400 acres of land. While in Spearfish he had a saw mill, furniture factory, door and sash company, plaster mine, and mercantile store.
He exhibited great interest in the material growth and advancement of Grand Rapids. He was chosen City Treasurer in 1853 and again in 1854, serving two terms. In 1857 he was elected Mayor and served one term, during which he started and gave a lasting impetus to the system of street improvements that has been so prominent a factor in city development and progress. Similarly he stimulated municipal growth by his service in the Board of Public Works from 1873 to 1878, where he was prominent in the establishment of the water works system.
As a politician he never sought office, but was a steady and active adherent of the Democratic Party
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
.
Mr. Powers married, in 1839, at Troy, New York
Troy, New York
Troy is a city in the US State of New York and the seat of Rensselaer County. Troy is located on the western edge of Rensselaer County and on the eastern bank of the Hudson River. Troy has close ties to the nearby cities of Albany and Schenectady, forming a region popularly called the Capital...
, Louisa Hall, a native of London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England. Of six children born to them, four were living in 1891 - William Henry, Sara Anna, Mary Louisa and Charles Ball Powers.