General Electric Gauge Panel, Filer & Stowell Factory, Milwaukee

The Filer & Stowell Company operated as a Milwaukee manufacturer of steam engines, sawmill machinery, and industrial equipment beginning in the late 19th century. General Electric switchboard gauges like these — measuring D-C volts and both A-C and D-C amperes — were standard equipment for monitoring power distribution on factory floors before solid-state instrumentation replaced analog dial panels in the mid-20th century. The plant's electrical control stations would have regulated current to heavy machinery used in producing engines and mill equipment. Filer & Stowell's Milwaukee operations wound down over the decades following World War II, part of a broader decline in the city's heavy manufacturing base.

Photo taken in August 2023.