Historic site
Hearthstone Historic House Museum
20 locals recommend,
Location
625 W Prospect Ave
Appleton, WI
Tips from locals
Love the architecture. Dating back to the 1880's, it's the first private home in the world to be illuminated by Edison's use of hydroelectricity.
It's a bit of American and local history. A Victorian period home that was the first lit by hydroelectricity.
Hearthstone Historic House was the first private residence anywhere in the world to be illuminated using hydroelectricity from a central Edison system. The switch was thrown on September 30, 1882 only two weeks after the first-ever Edison central station, which was powered by steam, was operational in New York City. The residence still contains the original Edison electroliers, original light switches, and some of the world's only examples of original Edison wiring in situ. Hearthstone is on the National Register of Historic Places for its technological, historic, architectural, and artistic significance. However, this beautifully restored house and museum is much more... It is excellent example of Queen Anne Victorian Style architecture, designed by a leading architect of the day, with breathtaking interiors. It is "hard wired" into local history as its story is the story of the history of Wisconsin, of the founding of the paper industry, of the Gilded Age, and of fortunes won and lost. It is a look to the past but it is also a look to the future - a look featuring hydroelectricity and renewable power, individually powered homes, and what it means to be a visionary.
Hearthstone Historic House was the first private residence anywhere in the world to be illuminated using hydroelectricity from a central Edison system. The switch was thrown on September 30, 1882 only two weeks after the first-ever Edison central station, which was powered by steam, was operational…
The first private home in the United States to be powered by hydro-electric current from a central Edison system! Wowsa - that's hot!