Wisconsin 101

OBJECT HISTORY: Sanitary Metal Kitchen Cabinet

Kitchens form a central part of the American experience. The Sanitary Metal Kitchen Cabinet, also known as the Mound City Kitchen Safe (circa 1906), fits into the history of American cookery, American kitchens, and American consumerism. Originally owned by members of the…

Comments Off

January 23, 2024

Home Furnishings / Eau Claire / Object Histories / Education / Ethnicity & Identity / Everyday Life / Eau Claire County / Nature & Environment / Region 3 - Center West / 1987-2011 / Council Oak Tree

OBJECT HISTORY: Council Oak Tree Bench

Dating from the early 1800’s, the Council Oak Tree, planted in Eau Claire stood for over 150 years with little to no disturbance. However, on July 10, 1966, a summer storm blew through the city and lightning struck the tree, leaving a…

Comments Off

October 1, 2021

Art & Design / Art, Sport & Entertainment / Home Furnishings / Related Stories / Iowa County / Everyday Life / 1900-1918 / 1918-1945 / Nature & Environment / Region 6 - South West / Frank Lloyd Wright Pew/Bench

Frank Lloyd Wright’s Organic Architecture

Born in 1867 in Richland City, WI, Frank Lloyd Wright designed nearly 150 buildings in Wisconsin alone, as well as numerous homes and churches across the United States. Wright’s philosophy of matching an architectural structure to its natural environment, along with his…

Comments Off

August 19, 2021

Home Furnishings / Appleton / Science & Technology / Related Stories / Everyday Life / 1877-1900 / Outagamie County / Science & Medicine / Region 5 - Center East / Hearthstone House Chandelier

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,…

Comments Off

June 7, 2021

Appleton / Home Furnishings / Object Histories / Everyday Life / 1877-1900 / Outagamie County / Science & Medicine / Region 5 - Center East / Hearthstone House Chandelier

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…

Comments Off

June 7, 2021

Health & Medicine / Home Furnishings / Object Histories / Sheboygan / Industry / Wisconsin Made / Everyday Life / 1900-1918 / Manufacturing & Trade / Sheboygan County / Region 5 - Center East / The 1904 Kohler “Armeda” Toilet

OBJECT HISTORY: The 1904 Kohler “Armeda” Toilet

By the year 1904, when the “Armeda” toilet pictured here appeared in the Kohler Company’s product catalogue, Sheboygan-based Kohler had become one of the largest makers of bathroom furnishings in the United States. Even at this early date in its history, as…

1 Comment

November 10, 2020