Mecklenburg Electric Cooperative was chartered on March 1, 1938, by a group of Mecklenburg County residents, with its first office in Boynton, Virginia. Its stated purpose was to advance the position of agriculture, enrich community life, and free men and women from the heavy drudgery of home and farm through an electric system erected by farmers and their neighbors to supply the service of electricity. In 1939, the headquarters moved to Chase City, and the service area soon extended from Pittsylvania County east to Sussex County. Later, district offices were added in Emporia, Gretna, and Chase City.