Edison Tech Center

08/26/2026

Schenectady wasn't always famous for electrical innovation, The Stockade district of the city goes back 365 years to the time of New Nederlands. It was only in the 1880s when George Westinghouse Jr. and Thomas Edison chose the city as a base for doing production and innovation. Westinghouse's time was brief in the city before he moved to Pennsylvania. The Schenectady County Historical Society is located in the first developed part of the city by the Mohawk River.

08/18/2026

Our interview with Marshall Jones (ASME (American Society of Mechanical Engineers) talking about how he got into laser technology at school, and later went on to pioneer use of lasers in welding and other applications.

07/22/2026

Who else is a fan of older ballasts? Quality made fluorescent light ballasts made in the 1940s can still be operational today because of thicker insulation and good design. Today they would never make such a ballast as the copper and materials would be too expensive.

07/15/2026

Since 2008 the Edison Tech Center has produced oral history interviews with engineers that advanced electrical technology in the The Schenectady Techsplorer Series. Check out our videos on YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/

07/09/2026

Another great clip we just released from the late Tom Blalock on the formation of General Electric. Tom was an important person in the Pittsfield scene, as an engineer and historian. He will always be remembered. If your are over there be sure to check out the Berkshire Museum.

How did Thomas Edison's cluster of companies become General Electri...

07/08/2026

Meters used to test electronics are critical for development of technology. These meters from the 1920s-1980s were used at GE Vernova Research Center in Niskayuna, New York. The GE Research Center was founded by several people including Charles Proteus Steinmetz in the early 20th century.

06/29/2026

Plug-in electric heaters have evolved over the years, from open brass dishes to safer closed models with overheat feedback switches. The Edison Tech Center has a full range of heaters in its collection. Each one shows an iteration in technological history.

06/26/2026

Magnetic recording was the primary way we would save video and audio up until the 2010s. This collection at the Edison shows VCRs from the 1980s-2010s, and a rare audio wire recorder with two spools of wire. The wire recorder was a donation from Journalist Ernie Tetrault who used the wire recorder for years in the news gathering industry.

05/21/2026

Erie Boulevard was once the canal. Electric power was produced at Building 31 (seen here) and powered carbon arc lamps that helped the industrial buildings on Dock Street. George Westinghouse Jr. operated his first businesses in Schenectady and was from Esperance, NY. He later moved to Pittsburgh, PA.

04/23/2026

Rick DeLair's passion for lighting technology history is unmatched! Here he is showing us some of his collection at the Edison Tech Center's workshop on the 2nd floor of our old building in downtown Schenectady.

Resident Lighting Technology History Rick DeLair shows us his rare mercury v***r lamps from GE and Westinghouse with 100, 175 and 400 Watt sizes. First is a ...