New River Light and Power Company has been part of the Boone community since 1915.  It was started by Dr. Blanford Barnard Dougherty, President of Appalachian Training School, who commissioned the building of Boone’s first electric generating plant on the South Fork of the New River.  That year New River began generating electricity for Appalachian Training School (now Appalachian State University) and the town of Boone.  There were three employees responsible for maintaining service to the school and six Boone residences.

The Power Plant housed the 75 KW rope driven generator powered by a 10-foot dam built of heavy timbers.  Planks from the dam are still visible in the riverbed of the South Fork of the New River. New River Light and Power's system consisted of 15 miles of line run on poles made from local chestnut trees.  Today the system includes more than 1,000 transformers and 200 miles of overhead and underground lines.

On July 12, 1916, a flood caused extensive damage to the wooden dam and destroyed the machinery, disrupting service for two weeks.

On March 23, 1923, a short circuit caused by an overworked generator caused a fire that gutted the power plant.  The machinery was completely destroyed, disrupting electrical service for almost four months.

On October 30, 1924, a larger generating plant located on the Middle Fork of the New River, powered by a 26-foot concrete dam, began service to New River customers.  This power plant remained in operation though 1972.  For safety reasons, after its retirement New River employees dynamited the South Fork dam, blowing holes in it to let the water through.  But the dam was so sturdy that they were unable to remove the dam in its entirety, even with dynamite.

On August 13 & 14, 1940, a major flood hits Boone, the worst's in the town's history at the time.  The damage to the dam and machinery took one year to repair.  It was measured that 8 inches of rain fell in only 48 hours.

New River Light and Power presently has 30 employees to meet the needs of nearly 7,500 residential and commercial customers.  The company purchases power from Blue Ridge Electric of Lenoir, NC. New River Light and Power, which is a non-profit subsidiary of Appalachian State University, serves the area generally within the town limits of Boone.

As the first utility to serve northwestern North Carolina, New River Light and Power established a tradition of responsible and prompt service meeting the ever-changing needs of Boone and its residents.

 The Power Plant remains located on the Greenway Trial in Boone, NC.