Hearthstone has been at the forefront of preservation and interpretation of technology, history, and art in our community since 1986.
Our Mission
Hearthstone Historic House Museum's mission is to preserve and interpret this unique intersection making it tangible, relevant, and meaningful to those around it.
“Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.”
What we strive for as a museum
“A museum is a not-for-profit, permanent institution in the service of society that researches, collects, conserves, interprets and exhibits tangible and intangible heritage. Open to the public, accessible and inclusive, museums foster diversity and sustainability. They operate and communicate ethically, professionally and with the participation of communities, offering varied experiences for education, enjoyment, reflection, and knowledge sharing.”
- International Council of Museums at its 26th General Conference
Our ORGANIZATION
Hearthstone Historic House Museum is operated by Friends of Hearthstone, Inc., a non-profit, public 501 (c) 3 charitable organization. The organization has an active and involved Board of Directors. Although it has a modest paid staff, its drive comes from its over 100 passionate, energetic volunteers who put in over 10,000 hours annually to care for and interpret the history and art contained in the structure, its contents, and its grounds.
What We Achieved in 2023…
Set new records in a wide array of areas including the following:
Overall attendance (9017 guests, up 24% over 2022. AAGR tops 30% for the past six years.)
Adult and senior daytime tour guests (3908 guests, up 39% and 27%, respectively)
School tours (1366 students)
Sequential Killers performances per night average (107) and per night revenue generated ($2350). Total revenue generated was $18,810.
Victorian Christmas open houses (878 guests, up 36%)
Total earned revenue ($110,825, up 27%)
Featured in two PBS Wisconsin broadcast premieres:
The Power of The River
Hometown Stories: Appleton
Restored Mary Deimer’s Bedroom. Mary was the German-speaking cook for the Rogers family.
Hired a new curation director Lynne Phillips
Hired a museum educator Lauren Kelly
Hosted month-long major exhibit for Octoberfest featuring:
Max Kade Institute’s traveling exhibit entitled Neighbors Past and Present: The Wisconsin German Experience
Expanding this to the local German-American experience with a dynamic audio-visual exhibit, artifacts, and educational materials.
Inaugurated annual week-long Summer Camps for grade 4-7 students with three sessions including one in Spanish for English as a Second Language Students.
Expanded college internship program to students from four area institutions of higher education including international students from three countries.
Made great strides with the physical plant including:
Installing a $65,000 new high efficiency boiler
Restoring all storm windows on second and third floors
Restoring 42 interior windows on the second floor
Our board of directors and staff
Our Board and Staff welcome your questions, comments, thoughts, and suggestions.
Board of Directors
Clair Cannell
Fred Hoida
Ronell Hubanks
Steve Jahnke
Laura Ann Kamm
Antoinette Powell
Staff
George M. Schroeder, Executive Director
Thomas Weiland, Development Director
Lynne Phillips, Curation Director
Lauren Kelly, Museum Educator
and, now retired but who will always be considered part of our staff because of her decades of contributions to the museum…
Ann Larson, Curator Emerita
Our Founders
Our success at Hearthstone Historic House Museum could never have been accomplished without the vision of our founders - a vision that rivals that of Edison, Rodgers, Waters, and others who built Hearthstone. At a time when historic preservation was often ignored, our founders came together in 1986 and strove with Edisonian determination to make a difference. We are eternally indebted to them.
Mary Crain
Mary Ellen Ducklow
Sharon Fenlon
Don Herrling
Frank Issacson
Ann Kloehn
Cody Mares
Nancy Mills
Tim Rose
Ken Sager
Kris Sager
Ann Sager
Don Sturtevant
Leonard Weis
Donna Weis
Harry Wendlandt