[2][3][4][5] At that time, the house was the residence of Henry James Rogers, a paper company executive and entrepreneur.

Priest died in 1930, and because his estate was unable to sell the house, it was rented and turned into a restaurant called Hearthstone Tea Room by John Carter Badenoch in 1931.

[7] Henry James Rogers, original owner of the house, was the manager of the Appleton Pulp and Paper Mill.

Rogers wrote the Western Edison Light Company on November 11, 1882, and said: "Gentlemen, I have used 50 lamps in my residence and have used them about 60 days.

This filament, becoming incandescent by the passage of the current of electricity through it, emits a beautiful soft white light, absolutely steady and constant and equaling in intensity, or exceeding if desired, the illuminating power of a gas jet of the best quality.

--The Appleton Post October 5, 1882 These bulbs are connected with the wire and the current may be turned on and off as readily as a gas burner.

--Appleton Crescent October 7, 1882 The house is open for tours and there is a Christmas holiday display from November through January.

The house features the "Hydro Adventure Center", a hands-on operating model of the earliest central hydroelectric station.

The house contains nine fireplaces, some surrounded by imported Minton tiles, intricate interior handcarved woodwork carved from woods native to Wisconsin, period furnishings, secret passages, and stained glass windows.