We The People: 90-year-old woman discusses life before electricity

ROCKINGHAM COUNTY, Va. (WHSV) — As America prepares to celebrate the Fourth of July, the nation also celebrates its 250th anniversary.

Here in the valley, one woman is using this time to reflect on the many things the country accomplished, including something many of us take for granted — electricity.

“A new beginning, a new beginning, not only for me, but everyone that received electricity.”

Ninety year-old Arletta Clutteur, shared her memories of growing up before many modern conveniences, including electricity, were available.

She said when she was a kid, families had to cook and clean very differently than we do now because electricity wasn’t yet at their disposal.

“And we didn’t have automatic washing machines, we didn’t have dryers, so we washed our clothes, hung on the line, and harder with irons like that, and that was our life there…We didn’t have electric mixers, we had egg beaters. We didn’t have electric mixers against the potatoes, we mixed them in the potato mixture,” she said.

She said living without electricity was difficult, but she stayed positive.

Clutteur said that even though there was no electricity, everyone still found ways to entertain themselves and have fun.

“We had community, then we had hymn sings, and we had singing in the communities and the gathering of people. If you had farm horse had extra fruits or veggies, they would get together in the homes and they would work together in the community,” she said.

But when the electricity finally found its way to her family, she was ecstatic.

“We went to Broadway, got the electricity that did get in, and we got excited, because Darsh Broadway looked like a tent, looked like a big city to us…But I thought, gee, We gone have a big town city back here, we was excited,” she said.

She said electricity has made a difference far beyond homes because people can now power schools and hospitals, providing more effective education and medical care. Clutteur said when electricity first became available in schools, they still had to work extra hard to keep the lights on.

“We had a box supper and raised funds that helped to pay to get the electricity into the school…And then they auction it all, and whoever got the highest bid got to eat with the person that made the box of food, and that’s how we raised funds for the electricity in the schoolhouse,” she said.

But with America’s 250th birthday right around the corner, Clutteur said she’s never been more thankful than to be a part of a country that played its role in discovering something so powerful.

“I feel very honored because my love for God, country, and community is my life and my family as we work together, my children, health, and America is our heritage…And with this world today that we’re in, and referring to the fact years ago, not only me, but many, without electricity, it’s a blessing that we have that,” she said.

The Shenandoah Valley Electric Cooperative is celebrating 90 years as well and is happy to keep providing power and light to loyal customers like Arletta Clutteur.

Preston Knight, communications manager with the Shenandoah Valley Electric Cooperative, said in the 1930s there were many areas here in the valley without electricity. After the Rural Electrification Act passed, farmers worked to pull resources together and created their own electric system and became co-ops.

“So we came along in 1936 first chartered, and then two years later in Rockingham County, and parts of Augusta…We had the first houses with lights, about 97 homes, I think, in the first two years. Lights came to the valley, at least on the co-op lines, and we’ve kind of just grown ever since then,” he said.

Knight said the Shenandoah Valley Electric Cooperative has been its own provider for years, using electricity to power important devices so it can better help the community.

Both Knight and Clutteur said although electricity is something most people take for granted, it’s important to use this time to celebrate the milestones the country and the Valley have made when it comes to lighting homes in the area.