Hearthstone Historic House Museum

The country's first hydroelectric central power station using the Edison system began its operation September 30, 1882. The generator was situated in the beater room of the Appleton Paper and Pulp Company. The three buildings that were lighted on that historic occasion were the Appleton Paper and Pulp Company owned by John Van Nortwick and run by Henry J. Rogers who owned the home on the bluff above, now known as Hearthstone, and Kimberly & Clark's Vulcan Paper Mill located nearby. Only one other Edison central station existed in the nation. Thomas Edison's steam powered Pearl Street Station in New York City began its operation September 4, 1882. It lit several businesses in the Wall Street area.