History

The Boone County Rural Electric Membership Corporation was formed in 1935. Funding from the Rural Electrification Act facilitated the construction of Indiana's first electric cooperative line, which was built to the Clark Woody farm, located five miles west of Lebanon, Indiana. In 2025 -- our 90th anniversary -- we rebranded and became Boone Power.

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The History of Boone REMC

Boone County Rural Electric Membership Corporation became the first electric cooperative established in Indiana in 1935. 

We were formed to extend electric service into rural areas where other utilities had refused to provide affordable power and received one of the first three loans from President Franklin Roosevelt’s Rural Electrification Administration (REA).

Our first pole was set on January 9, 1936, at the corner of Lebanon and Noble Streets in Lebanon, Indiana, and our first 60-mile section of line was energized on May 22 of the same year. 

We were the first REA-funded electric cooperative in Indiana, and the second REA-funded co-op in the United States, to energize power lines and provide electric service.

In 1994, we changed our name from Boone County REMC to Boone REMC to better reflect the boundaries of our service area. And throughout our history, we have always worked hard to provide affordable, reliable electricity to the members we serve. And in 2025, we became Boone Power.

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Photo Albums

Get a firsthand look at our history by browsing our photo albums:

  1. Historical Photos
     
  2. First Board of Directors
     
  3. 1936 Lebanon Reporter—Rural Electrification Edition
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Historical Documents & Articles

Read more about the history of Boone REMC and the rural electrification project:

  1. “Powerful Pioneer”- Indiana Connections, May 2019
     
  2. “Boone County will turn on the lights” – Indiana Farmer’s Guide, February 1, 1936
     
  3. Emily Schilling’s Power to the People: A History of Rural Electrification in Indiana
     
  4. Boone REMC Newsletter – First Edition
     
  5. Clark Woody Family article – Co-op Power, 1946 Edition
     
  6. Customers on the First Section of the Line