The Vulcan Street Plant in Appleton, Wisconsin, is widely considered the world’s first hydroelectric central station.
Built by industrialist H. J. Rogers, the plant began operating on September 30, 1882, using water from the Fox River. Its dynamo supplied electricity to Rogers’s home, paper mills, and nearby buildings. The project demonstrated that falling water could generate and distribute electricity for multiple users rather than serving only a single machine.
The plant followed earlier experiments with electric generators powered by waterwheels, so “first” depends on the definition used. Appleton is generally credited with the first central hydroelectric station supplying a community and industrial customers. The earlier Washington Street Station in Wisconsin is sometimes confused with it, but that facility opened later.
The original plant no longer operates as a power station. A replica and museum interpretation at the site commemorate its role in the early history of commercial electricity.