POWERGRAMS

In 1920, as Alabama Power executives Harold S. Swann, Will Mitchell and Frederick Ruth were compiling materials from the estate of recently deceased President James Mitchell, they sent about eight cases and six filing cabinets filled with records from Alabama Traction, Light & Power and Alabama Power to the Birmingham Office, which were transferred to the Magella Primary Substation. In the spring of 1921, newly elected President Tom Martin wrote from New York to General Manager W.N. Walmsley to take care of the documents because of their historical value. Martin wanted to "collect everything into a common library." This was the beginning of the Alabama Power Corporate Archives. Records do not indicate how long the corporate records were kept at the Magella substation. An article in the April 1927 Powergrams describes the opening of a new Corporate Library in the new General Office Building but there is no evidence that the historical records were moved to this location. There is some evidence that a portion, if not all, of the material was sent to the corporate secretary's office. What is known is that in 1986, as construction on the Corporate Tower and the restoration of the 1925 Building was nearing completion, a call went out through Powergrams for all departments in the company to send any and all historical documents, records, photographs and artifacts to Corporate Headquarters to be a part of an exhibit in the new Corporate Museum on the ground floor of the 1925 Building. The response to the call was overwhelming. Truckload after truckload of cardboard boxes and file cabinets of records, artifacts and images were sent. All these materials were temporarily housed at the Corporate Records Center. In 1988, archives consultant Bill Tharpe was contracted to survey the collection and create an exhibit for the approaching reception celebrating the completion of the 1925 Building restoration. As Tharpe began to survey the collection, he realized what an incredible historical resource lay before him. He knew that unless the material was catalogued and housed in a permanent archive, it would begin to disappear. With backing from President Joe Farley, Corporate Secretary Richard Bowron and APC Librarian Angela Weir, and with help from the Energizers retiree group, eight retired employees were placed under Tharpe's management and the slow process of accessioning the collection began. Since then, Tharpe's vision for the Corporate Archives has come to pass. In 1994, the Archives was made a permanent part of the company organization, at first in the library under the corporate secretary, then moved to Records Management in 1996 and finally to Public Relations in 2003. From the original documents that Martin sent to Magella in 1921, the holdings and the mission of the Corporate Archives have grown. The mission today is to gather, preserve, document and make available the history of the company, its predecessor and holding companies. There are more than 1,000 cubic feet of records in the collection, including: incorporation papers, correspondence of company leaders, legal documents, Alabama Power and electric power industry publications, graphic materials, photographs, motion pictures, artifacts and sound recordings. These holdings illustrate the development and growth of electric power in Alabama, attraction of industry to the state, controversies over the establishment of the Tennessee Valley Authority, and founding of the Southern Research Institute. Without these records, it would have been impossible for a centennial history of the company to be researched, written and published in 2006, said noted historian Leah Rawls Atkins. "The records are constantly being used to document various aspects of Alabama Power's history and its relationship to related corporations and subsidiary companies established to accomplish the mission of Alabama Power and accomplish the goals of its people over time," she said. Archivists Tharpe and Erin Harney receive, preserve and catalogue historical materials and provide research for employees and customers. The museum exhibits its historic records, artifacts and visual materials to illustrate not only company history, but also the company's impact on the history and culture of Alabama and the Southeast. The museum hosts exhibits of Alabama artists, museums and other institutions that have had a positive impact on the state. In his book "Putting Loafing Streams to Work," Harvey Jackson wrote, "When the Power Company turbines began spinning and electricity began to flow from powerhouses to farms, towns and cities, Alabama moved from the nineteenth into the twentieth century. The people and the state would never be the same again." Martin was acutely aware that bringing electricity to Alabama would dramatically change the state and improve the lives of Alabamians. He made sure the important records and materials documenting the establishment and growth of Alabama Power were preserved. The Corporate Archives continues to collect, document and preserve the activities of the company as it continues to help develop Alabama. HISTORY Martin set the archives wheels in motion in 1921. 50

• Cover