Keeping up with technology.

Modern services make a modern city. In 1874, the Springfield Gas Company was formed to provide synthetically produced gas. In 1930, natural gas became available.

In 1883, the Springfield Water Company was formed to provide water for the community from Fulbright Springs which still is one of several sources of supply, including water impounded by McDaniel and Fellows Lakes.

Electricity was first produced locally in 1884. A generating site built in 1892 in the downtown area was rebuilt in 1923 as the present Main Street generating plant. Its output, plus power purchased from Powersite Dam, provided the city's power until 1957 when the James River Plant was built. A second large station has since been added.

Today (1980), residents of the community use over 750 million cubic feet of gas, 82.7 million kilowatt hours of electricity and 403.3 million gallons of water per month, pointing up the remarkable growth of the city and changes in lifestyles of its residents.

Another necessity for healthy growth, a sanitary sewer system, was started in 1892 with the passage, on the third try, of a $250,000 bond issue for construction. In 1955, a bond issue of close to $10 million was approved to modernize the system.

The Main Street electrical generating plant is still operative today (1980).

The city lit up (below) when electricity became available.