UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, DC 20549
FORM 4
STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP

( ) Check this box if no longer subject to Section 16.

1. Name and Address of Reporting Person
   Garfield, Arthur R.
   76 South Main Street
   Akron, OH 44308
   USA
2. Issuer Name and Ticker or Trading Symbol
   FirstEnergy Corp. (FE)
3. IRS or Social Security Number of Reporting Person (Voluntary)
4. Statement for Month/Year
   12/2000
5. If Amendment, Date of Original (Month/Day/Year)
6. Relationship of Reporting Person(s) to Issuer (Check all applicable)
   ( ) Director                   ( ) 10% Owner
   (X) Officer (give title below) ( ) Other (specify below)
   Vice President
7. Individual or Joint/Group Filing (Check Applicable Line)
   (X) Form filed by One Reporting Person
   ( ) Form filed by More than One Reporting Person

TABLE I -- Non-Derivative Securities Acquired, Disposed of, or Beneficially Owned

+---------------------------------+----------+-------------+-----------------------------+----------------+-----------+------------+
|1. Title of Security             |2. Trans- |3. Trans-    |4. Securities Acquired (A)   |5. Amount of    |6. Owner-  |7. Nature   |
|                                 |   action |   action    |   or Disposed of (D)        |   Securities   |   ship    |   of In-   |
|                                 |   Date   |   Code      |                             |   Beneficially |   Form:   |   direct   |
|                                 |          |             |                             |   Owned at     |   Direct  |   Bene-    |
|                                 |  (Month/ |             |                             |   End of       |   (D) or  |   ficial   |
|                                 |   Day/   +-------+-----+-----------+------+----------+   Month        |   Indirect|   Owner-   |
|                                 |   Year)  |Code   |V    |Amount     |A/D   |Price     |                |   (I)     |   ship     |
+---------------------------------+----------+-------+-----+-----------+------+----------+----------------+-----------+------------+
                                                                                            
Common Stock                       12/08/2000 J (1)   V     4.978       A      $30.131300                  D
Common Stock                       12/22/2000 J (1)   V     4.921       A      $30.480200 3306.088         D





TABLE II -- Derivative Securities Acquired, Disposed of, or Beneficially Owned

+-------------+--------+----------+---------+-----------+---------------------+----------------+----------+--------+-------+-------+
|1.           |2.      |3.        |4.       |5.         |6.                   |7.              |8.        |9.      |10.    |11.    |
|             |        |          |         |           |                     |                |          |Number  |Owner- |       |
|             |        |          |         |           |                     |                |          |of      |ship   |       |
|             |        |          |         |           |                     |                |          |Deriv-  |Form of|       |
|             |        |          |         |           |                     |Title and Amount|          |ative   |Deriv- |       |
|             |        |          |         |           |                     |of Underlying   |          |Secur-  |ative  |Nature |
|             |Conver- |          |         |Number of  |                     |Securities      |          |ities   |Secur- |of     |
|             |sion or |          |         |Derivative |Date Exercisable     +-------+--------+          |Benefi- |ity:   |In-    |
|             |Exercise|          |         |Securities |and Expiration Date  |       |Amount  |          |cially  |Direct |direct |
|             |Price of|Transac-  |Transac- |Acquired(A)|(Month/Day/Year)     |       |or      |          |Owned   |(D) or |Bene-  |
|Title of     |Deriv-  |tion Date |tion Code|Disposed(D)+----------+----------+       |Number  |Price of  |at End  |In-    |ficial |
|Derivative   |ative   |(Month/   +------+--+-----+-----+Date Exer-|Expira-   |       |of      |Derivative|of      |direct |Owner- |
|Security     |Security|Day/Year) |Code  |V |(A)  |(D)  |cisable   |tion Date |Title  |Shares  |Security  |Month   |(I)    |ship   |
+-------------+--------+----------+------+--+-----+-----+----------+----------+-------+--------+----------+--------+-------+-------+
                                                                                  
Stock Options  $27.75   11/22/2000 A      V  20000       11/22/2004 11/22/2010 Common  20000    $0.000000  20000    D
(Right to buy)                                                                 Stock


Explanation of Responses:
(1) Shares purchased through an open enrollment stock purchase program open to
all employees and the public.  This is not a stock purchase program under
Section 423.  Payroll deductions are taken twice a month.

SIGNATURE OF REPORTING PERSON
/s/ Arthur R. Garfield

DATE
01/09/2001