Brush Electric Light and Power Co of Helena, Montana - Charles Francis Brush Related - 1880's dated Utilities Stock Certificate

General Stock. Exceptional vignette of large factory complex. A custom job with tiny sign of the company. Train in foreground. Unissued. 'Montana Territory.' Rare!

When Charles Francis Brush established the Brush Electric Light Company at the age of 30, he had been refining his dynamo and arc light assemblies in various workshops. Prior to this venture, he had been employed in his father’s farm workshop. It is important to note that electric devices, aside from basic batteries, were uncommon during that period. The few existing single lights were unreliable and could only function for a limited number of hours. Brush’s products rapidly gained traction in a broad market, and his mechanisms demonstrated reliability and durability. Brush Arc lights featured one or two pairs of carbon that required replacement after approximately 8 or 16 hours of use, creating a profitable “parts” business for the company. They provided around 200 million replacement carbon rods each year as arc light installations became prevalent.

In 1879, Charles Francis Brush consented to sell all his non-United States patent rights to a newly formed company in London known as the Anglo-American Brush Electric Light Company. This agreement enabled the company to market his products in international markets. The newly established UK-based company initially set up its manufacturing operations in Lambeth, close to the Thames River in London, and subsequently expanded to various locations across Europe. The London facility eventually relocated to Loughborough in 1889. Newspaper articles, valued at approximately $46 million today, underscore the importance of Brush’s invention.

In 1880, the council members of Wabash, a small city in Indiana, were enthralled by a demonstration of the Cleveland lights. They entered into a contract with the Brush Company to install four lights atop their Town Hall. The lights were activated on March 30th, generating a wave of excitement and amazement that resonated across the United States. A hundred years later, Wabash commemorated its anniversary by illuminating one of the original Brush Arc lights.

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