Appleton in Outagamie County, Wisconsin — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

Henry James and Cremora Rogers Residence

Photographed by Fitzie Heimdahl, August 27, 2019

1. Henry James and Cremora Rogers Residence Marker

Inscription. On September 30, 1882, the H.J. (Henry James) and Cremora Rogers residence was the first home in the world to be lit electrically from a central hydro-electric station using the Thomas Edison system. The station also electrified two paper mills: Van Nortwick’s Appleton Paper and Pulp Co. mill and Kimberly and Clark’s Vulcan mill, which were located below the bluff on the Fox River.

At dusk, as the Edison K Dynamo located inside the Appleton Paper and Pulp Co. gathered speed, the carbonized bamboo filaments slowly became dull red, bright red, and then incandescent. The miracle of the age had been performed. Newspapers reported that illumination was “bright as day.” The residence still contains its original Edison electric light switches, wiring, cleats, and “electroliers.”

H.J. Rogers, manager of the Appleton Paper and Pulp Co. and president of the Appleton Gas Light Co., was the driving force behind the introduction of electricity to Appleton. He became a founder of the Appleton Edison Electric Light Co. By December, 1882, Appleton claimed more electrically lit buildings than any other city in the U.S. The first college building so lit was Lawrence University’s Main Hall in 1886.

A showcase of modern technology, the Rogers’ residence was designed by prominent architect William Waters and features Wisconsin

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wood hand-carved by William Van Stratum, frescoes painted by J. Frank Waldo, and hand-painted tiles by Frederika Crane — all Wisconsin artists. Named after its nine fireplaces, it has been called Hearthstone since it operatied as a tearoom in the 1930s. It became a historic house museum in 1986.

Erected 2018 by Hearthstone. (Marker Number 581.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Industry & Commerce • Notable Buildings. In addition, it is included in the Wisconsin Historical Society series list. A significant historical date for this entry is September 30, 1882.

Location. 44° 15.261′ N, 88° 24.896′ W. Marker is in Appleton, Wisconsin, in Outagamie County. It is at the intersection of West Prospect Avenue and South Memorial Drive, on the right when traveling east on West Prospect Avenue. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 625 West Prospect Avenue, Appleton WI 54911, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Wisconsin’s Fox River Valley.

It is also in the American Midwest,

on the Great Lakes,

and in the Corn Belt.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture

and also the Northwest Territory.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Bridge (approx. 0.2 miles away); First Commercially Successful Electric Street Railway (approx. half a mile away); Hippolyte Grignon (approx. 0.6 miles away); Outagamie County World War I Memorial (approx. 0.7 miles away); First Edison Hydroelectric System in America

Replacement marker. image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Fitzie Heimdahl, August 27, 2019

2. Replacement marker.

(approx. 0.9 miles away); Vulcan Street Plant Replica (approx. 0.9 miles away); 9-11 Memorial (approx. 0.9 miles away); Lawrence University (approx. one mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Appleton.

Other markers no longer nearby. Hearthstone (was here, next to this marker but has been replaced with another marker now near it); World's First Hydroelectric Central Station (was approx. 0.9 miles away but has been replaced with another marker now near it).

Related marker. Click here for another marker that is related to this marker. This link is to the the older marker that this marker replaced.

Also see . . . Hearthstone. The Henry J. Rogers House (Hearthstone) was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. An excerpt from the Nomination Form:

Hearthstone is interesting architecturally as an example of a fine Queen Anne house still in excellent condition. The haad-crafted interior woodwork as well as the fine stained-glass, Minton tiles, and antique furniture make it important for Victorian decorative arts as well. A further significance of Hearthstone is historical. It was built by Henry J. Rogers
Photographed by Paul Fehrenbach, June 12, 2011

3. Hearthstone
View from the corner of Prospect Ave. and Memorial Dr.
an industrialist who had come to Appleton from the East. Rogers' wife missed the social life of her native Baltimore, and Rogers is said to have built Hearth Stone to provide her with elegant surroundings which would reconcile her to life in the West. Rogers was a friend of H.E. Jacobs who in 1882 had taken a fob with Thomas Edison. Jacobs convinced Rogers that electricity was the wave of the future, and Rogers devised a scheme to light Hearth Stone, the Vulcan Paper Mill, and the Appleton Paper and Pulp Mill electrically. A generator was purchased from Thomas Edison, and Rogers and three other men founded the Appleton Edison Light Company, Ltd., using the Fox River as their source of power. On September 30, 1882, Hearth Stone was illuminated electrically for the first time.

This first operation of the Appleton plant followed the opening of Thomas Edison’s steam operated Pearl Street Station by only twenty-six days; and Edison's plant was not originally used to light any buildings used solely for residential purposes, though it did light some houses associated with industrial purposes. Thus, Hearthstone was the first residence in America to be lighted from a centrally-located power plant.

(Submitted on November 9, 2025, by Joel Seewald of Madison Heights, Michigan.)

Additional commentary.

Photographed by Paul Fehrenbach, June 12, 2011

4. Hearthstone

Museum sign

1. This is a replacement marker for #43367.
This marker replaced Wisconsin Historical Marker 51.

— Submitted March 26, 2020, by Fitzie Heimdahl of Eau Claire, Wisconsin.

Additional keywords. Notable Homes

Henry James and Cremora Rogers Residence and Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Joel Seewald, October 10, 2025

5. Henry James and Cremora Rogers Residence and Marker

Henry James and Cremora Rogers Residence Marker - NRHP plaque image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Joel Seewald, October 10, 2025

6. Henry James and Cremora Rogers Residence Marker - NRHP plaque

Credits. This page was last revised on November 19, 2025. It was originally submitted on June 13, 2011, by Paul Fehrenbach of Richfield, Wisconsin. This page has been viewed 1,928 times since then and 84 times this year. Last updated on March 25, 2020, by Fitzie Heimdahl of Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Photos: 1. submitted on March 26, 2020, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. 2. submitted on March 25, 2020, by Fitzie Heimdahl of Eau Claire, Wisconsin. 3, 4. submitted on June 13, 2011, by Paul Fehrenbach of Richfield, Wisconsin. 5, 6. submitted on November 9, 2025, by Joel Seewald of Madison Heights, Michigan. • Mark Hilton was the editor who published this page.