Wisconsin 101

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

Home Furnishings / Appleton / 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 / Industry / Sheboygan / Wisconsin Made / Everyday Life / Manufacturing & Trade / 1900-1918 / 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

Read more about the article The Early History of the Kohler Company

Kohler advertisement from the April 15, 1916 edition of 'The Saturday Evening Post.'

Home Furnishings / Industry / Sheboygan / Related Stories / Everyday Life / 1877-1900 / Manufacturing & Trade / 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…

Comments Off

November 10, 2020

Health & Medicine / Home Furnishings / Industry / Related Stories / Everyday Life / 1877-1900 / Manufacturing & Trade / Science & Medicine / The 1904 Kohler “Armeda” Toilet

The Bathroom as a Household Space

When we think of a “bathroom,” we usually imagine a room containing three standard fixtures—a bathtub, a sink, and a toilet. Bathrooms such as these are so universal in homes today that we can hardly imagine a time when they did not…

Comments Off

November 10, 2020

Object Histories / Science & Technology / Clothing, Apparel & Fashion / Door County / Sturgeon Bay / 1945-1965 / Science & Medicine / Region 5 - Center East / X-Ray Shoe Fitting Machine

OBJECT HISTORY: X-Ray Shoe Fitting Machine

Intended to help customers get the perfect pair of shoes, X-Ray shoe fitting machines like this one from Sturgeon Bay were popular in the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s.

Comments Off

October 10, 2020