Hearthstone Historic House Museum facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Hearthstone
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| Location | 625 W. Prospect Ave., Appleton, Outagamie County, Wisconsin, USA |
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| Area | less than one acre |
| Built | 1882 |
| Architect | William Waters, Henry VanStrom |
| Architectural style | Queen Anne |
| NRHP reference No. | 74000112 |
| Added to NRHP | December 2, 1974 |
The Hearthstone Historic House Museum is a special house in Appleton, Wisconsin, that is now a museum. What makes it so famous? On September 30, 1882, it became the very first house in the world to be lit up using hydroelectricity from a central power station. Hydroelectricity is power made from moving water.
The house was built for a wealthy businessman named Henry James Rogers. Because of its important place in history, the house is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Contents
Location of the House
Hearthstone is located at 625 W. Prospect Avenue in Appleton, Wisconsin. It sits on a high piece of land, called a bluff, that looks over the beautiful Fox River.
History of the House's Owners
The First Family
Henry James Rogers built Hearthstone in 1881-1882 to be a beautiful and modern home for his wife, Cremora. He hired a well-known architect from Wisconsin named William Waters to design it.
On the evening of September 30, 1882, history was made. For the first time, electric lights powered by water glowed inside the house. The local newspaper, the Appleton Crescent, wrote that the light was "as bright as day." The Rogers family lived in their amazing electric house until 1893.
From Home to Museum
After the Rogers family moved, several other people lived in the house. In 1900, a man named A. W. Priest bought it. After he passed away in 1930, the house was rented out and even became a restaurant for a while, called the Hearthstone Tea Room.
The house had a few more owners until a group called Friends of Hearthstone Inc. bought it in 1986. They wanted to preserve this important building and share its story. They turned it into a museum, which opened in 1988, and they still run it today.
The Amazing Electric Power Source
Henry James Rogers wasn't just the owner of the house; he was also the manager of a paper mill. The electricity for his home came from a company he helped start, the Appleton Edison Light Company. This was the first company in the United States to sell hydroelectric power to customers.
The power came from a machine called a dynamo, which was located in one of Rogers's paper mills on the Fox River. The dynamo used the river's current to generate electricity. This happened just two weeks after a much larger steam-powered station opened in New York City.
Early Electrical Challenges
The first electrical system was very basic.
- The wires were made of bare copper with only a thin layer of cotton for protection.
- They were attached to the walls with simple wooden holders.
- Even the fuse boxes, light sockets, and light switches were made of wood. You can still see some of this original equipment in the house!
There were no tools to control the voltage, which is the strength of the electric current. Workers at the power station had to watch the lights and adjust the power by hand. If the paper mill used a lot of power, the lights in the house would dim. If the mill stopped, the lights would get very bright.
Stormy weather also caused problems. Fallen tree branches could easily cause a short circuit, and the power would go out for everyone until the problem was found and fixed. Also, electricity was only available from dusk until dawn.
What People Thought of Electric Lights
People were amazed by the new electric lamps. Here is how local newspapers described them in 1882:
The electric lamp consists of a pear-shaped glass, exhausted of air, into which is sealed a filament of carbonized bamboo, slightly thicker than horse hair. This filament, becoming incandescent by the passage of the current of electricity through it, emits a beautiful soft white light, absolutely steady and constant... --The Appleton Post, October 5, 1882
These bulbs are connected with the wire and the current may be turned on and off as readily as a gas burner. Each lamp will burn 600 hours, and can be renewed easily, but at some considerable expense, of course... The electric light may entirely supersede the use of gas as an illuminator in our city... --Appleton Crescent, October 7, 1882
Visiting the Hearthstone Museum Today
The house is open for public tours. It is especially popular during the Christmas season when it is decorated for the holidays.
When you visit, you can see the original Thomas Edison light fixtures that still work. The museum also has a "Hydro Adventure Center." It features a hands-on model that shows you how the first hydroelectric station worked.
The house itself is beautiful, with nine fireplaces, detailed woodwork made from local Wisconsin trees, and colorful stained glass windows.
