Region 5 – Center East

Front view of historic house in the summertime c. 1974. Photo courtesy of the Wisconsin Historical Society, ID# 28719.

Home Furnishings / Appleton / Hearthstone House Chandelier / Related Stories / 1880-1900 / Outagamie County / Science & Medicine / Region 5 - Center East

The Hearthstone House and Electricity to Wisconsin

Built in 1882, the Hearthstone House operated using the first system of central electricity designed by Thomas Edison and it was the first private residence in the nation powered through hydroelectricity. The house was originally known as the Henry J. Rogers House,…

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June 7, 2021

Hearthstone House chandelier. Photo courtesy of Trase Tracanna, 2021.

Appleton / Home Furnishings / Hearthstone House Chandelier / Object Histories / 1880-1900 / Outagamie County / Science & Medicine / Region 5 - Center East

OBJECT HISTORY: Hearthstone House Chandelier

Known as Edison Light Fixtures, the original lighting fixtures of Appleton’s Hearthstone House, were created by Bergmann and Co., in association with the Edison Company for Isolated Lighting, out of New York. They designed the electric lights with the same general components…

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June 7, 2021

Fish boil meal, courtesy of the White Gull Inn.

Art, Sport & Entertainment / Food & Cooking / Door County / Related Stories / 1880-1900 / Region 5 - Center East / Two-sided Spork

The Fish Boil Tradition

Familiar to many Wisconsinites, the Door County fish boil is more than just a cookout, it is a social experience. It begins when guests arrive early to sit outside around a crackling fire, where they enjoy a drink selected from the beverage…

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May 3, 2021

Courtesy of the White Gull Inn

Art, Sport & Entertainment / Object Histories / Food & Cooking / Fish Creek / Door County / 1960-1980 / Region 5 - Center East / Two-sided Spork

OBJECT HISTORY: Two-sided Spork

 The Door County fish boil is a culinary tradition local to the peninsula that spawned the invention of the two-sided spork. This unique cooking utensil made its first appearance at the White Gull Inn in the 1960s. The White Gull Inn’s history…

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May 3, 2021

William Cogswell’s Portrait of Doty ca. 1858. Image courtesy of the Wisconsin Historical Society.

Doty Island / Dane County / Madison / Related Stories / 1820-1840 / 1840-1860 / Politics, Society & Government / Winnebago County / Region 4 - Center / Region 7 - South Center / Ojibwe Presentation Pipe

James Duane Doty

As settlers continued moving westward during the nineteenth century, the United States was a mix of states and large territories.  From 1805-1837, Wisconsin was part of the Michigan territory. James Duane Doty spearheaded the movement to create  partitions in the Michigan territory, …

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December 18, 2020

Home Furnishings / Sheboygan / Related Stories / Manufacturing & Trade / 1860-1880 / Sheboygan County / Science & Medicine / Region 5 - Center East / The 1904 Kohler “Armeda” Toilet

The Early History of the Kohler Company

As was so often the case with major American businesses in the 1800s, the Kohler Company grew from modest roots. The company’s founder, John Michael Kohler, began his working life first as a delivery truck driver and then a salesman. Born in…

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November 10, 2020