ECN Forum Forums Photo Discussion Forums Electrical Nostalgia Old Square D Switch

My apologies to Jim.

I just found these in my Email folder and have apparently been sitting on them for about 8 Months

Bill

Nice find, didn't know square D was around then.

A porcelain enclosure??? Perhaps this switch was intended for use in a hostile environment of some kind??

A.D

I picked up a few porcelain outlet boxes a few years ago.
My guess is that at the time it was cheaper to make porcelain than metal. Also, since many people were scared of this new fangled electricity, they probably would have felt safer with touching something non-conductive.

Square D started around 1905 as a merger between a fuse company and Detroit switch.
In those days electrical equipment was almost all open knife blades. Detroit started to put their knife switches in enclosures thereby make them Safety Switches. They put an embossed letter D, in a square, on the front of their switches. After awhile people began asking for that 'Square D' switch, so the company name was changed to Square D.

Hi JBD;
That's an interesting little bit of history on Square D. I've always wondered how the Square D name came to be. Thanks.

Mike