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 in Appleton, Wisconsin, United States, is a special old house that is now a museum. It made history on September 30, 1882. On that day, it became the very first home in the US to get its electricity from a central hydroelectric power station. This station used the Edison system. At the time, the house belonged to Henry James Rogers, who was a leader in the paper industry. Hearthstone was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.
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Where is Hearthstone Located?
The Hearthstone house is at 625 W. Prospect Avenue in Appleton, Wisconsin. You can find it where Prospect Avenue meets Memorial Drive (Hwy 47). The house sits on a hill overlooking the Fox River.
Who Lived at Hearthstone?
The Rogers Family
Henry James Rogers built Hearthstone as a beautiful home for his wife, Cremora. A Wisconsin architect named William Waters designed the house. He also designed other important buildings in the area.
The house first lit up with hydroelectricity on September 30, 1882. The local newspaper, the Appleton Crescent, said the electricity in the home "Was bright as day." The Rogers family lived in the house until 1893. Then, they moved to Chicago.
Later Owners and the Museum
After the Rogers family left, different people rented the house. In 1900, A. W. Priest bought it. After he passed away, the house became a restaurant called Hearthstone Tea Room in 1931. The restaurant closed in 1938.
The Mares family owned the home from the 1960s until 1986. Then, a group called the Friends of Hearthstone Inc. bought the house. They opened it as a museum in 1988. The Friends of Hearthstone group still runs the museum today.
How Hearthstone Got Electricity
Henry James Rogers, the first owner, was the manager of the Appleton Pulp and Paper Mill. His house got its electricity from the Appleton Edison Light Company. This was the first commercial electric plant in America. It started operating just two weeks after a much bigger power station in New York City.
The Hearthstone house and two paper mills got power from a special machine called a dynamo. This dynamo was inside one of the mills. The wires that carried the electricity were made of bare copper. They had only a small amount of cotton for insulation. Workers attached the wires to the walls with wooden clips. Where wires went through walls, tape was wrapped around them. Even the fuse blocks, sockets, and switch handles were made of wood! You can still see examples of this old equipment working in the house today.
In the early days, there were no automatic voltage regulators. Operators had to watch the lights to control the voltage. This meant the lights would get bright or dim depending on how much power the mills were using. A few weeks later, the electricity for homes was moved to a separate wheel. This made sure the mill's operations didn't affect the house's power.
Sometimes, storms or fallen tree branches caused short circuits. When this happened, the power plant had to shut down until the problem was fixed. Electricity for homes was only available from dusk until dawn.
Henry Rogers was very happy with his new electric lights. In November 1882, he wrote that he was "pleased with them beyond expression." He said they were "more economical than gas and quite as reliable."
Local newspapers also wrote about the new electric lamps. They described the lamps as a "pear-shaped glass" with a thin carbon filament inside. When electricity passed through it, the filament would glow, making a "beautiful soft white light." They noted that each lamp could burn for 600 hours.
Visiting the Museum
The Hearthstone Historic House Museum is open for tours. During the Christmas holiday season, from November through January, they have special displays.
The house still uses its original Thomas Edison light fixtures. It also has old-fashioned electroliers (fancy light fixtures). The museum has a "Hydro Adventure Center." This is a hands-on model that shows how the very first central hydroelectric station worked.
Inside the house, you'll find nine fireplaces. Some of these are decorated with special tiles from England. There's also beautiful woodwork carved from Wisconsin trees, old furniture, secret passages, and colorful stained glass windows.
