The Edison Historic Site is part of the National Park Service--all
     kinds of info available through <www.nps.gov>  then look for the site.

     You might want to look for an old book by William Seale called, I
     think, RECREATING THE HISTORIC HOUSE INTERIOR.  He talks a lot about
     things like gas and electric, though may concentrate on the 19th
     century.

     Marilyn Harper


______________________________ Reply Separator _________________________________
Subject: Re: Help! historic electric
Author:  Ralph Walter <[log in to unmask]> at np--internet
Date:    1/10/01 11:35 PM


In a message dated 1/10/2001 9:36:20 PM Eastern Standard Time,
[log in to unmask] writes:

<<  I told the guys at work that someone needs to write the
 difinitive history of electricity in America.

 My boss says there's no way anyone would.  It would just be too shocking.
  >>

Not if it were done properly.

I've got some of the wooden wire mold in my house, which dates from the late
80's and was originally lit by gas and retrofitted with electric later, but I
don't know when. Also found the wooden wire mold in our local Town Hall in
Summit, NJ, which dated from 1892, and was retrofitted for electricity, but
again I don't know just when.  I suspect the wooden wire mold was used mostly
for retrofit, but wouldn't be surprised if it was also used in cheaper (I
should think) new installations as well.

At the Rosson House in Phoenix, built 1895 with electricity, we didn't find
wire mold but found some sort of somewhat flexible tarpaper-like conduit
above ceilings that was original (I found similar stuff in my house here).
The Rosson house had been chopped up into furnished rooms, and may have had
wire mold which had disappeared by the time we got there in the early-mid
70's.  Since I was even less knowledgeable then than I became later, I may
have seen it but didn't know what I was looking at, but I don't think that
was the case.

As for switches, the wire mold used round switches which mounted on the face
of the wire mold. Sometimes the switches (roughly 2" in diameter, projecting
2" or so from the wall) had a knob which rotated ON and OFF, and others had
toggle switches. I don't know how many were the rotating type and how many
were toggle; or when which was used when, but I suspect strongly that toggles
came later and were an improvement on the rotor.

As I remember, my grandfather's house in LA which dated from the 20's had a
rotating switch in the service porch or some odd place; some of his rooms had
push button switches, or just pull chains on the fixtures themselves.  His
house did not have wire mold.

I remember seeing (and may have) a socket/receptacle device for the wire mold,
which allowed one to screw in a lamp (light bulb, to the uninitiated) wherever
this receptacle was placed; or one could screw in an adapter that converts the
Edison base lamp socket to a 2-prong receptacle if ya wanted to plug in an
appliance.  There were also Edison base thread screw in taps attached to
appliance cords (preferably twisted GY [=Green and yellow] cord), which I
suspect predated the 2 prong plugs we still use.

As I think about this (for some reason I love old electric stuff, as well as
speaking tube stuff), Anne should get in touch with the Edison Natl Historic
Site (his Home and Lab, which are FABULOUS and very much worth a visit) in
West Orange here in the Garden State; dunno their email address but general
info tel no is 973 736-5050.  Somebody there ought to know about this stuff
and/or how to date it, and I think somebody ought to put together a history
of electrical equipment, if it hasn't already been done. I betcha somebody's
done work on this.  Avery Liberry at Columbia may or may not have old
electrical catalogues among their arch'l trade catalogue collection, and it
would be interesting to find out if they do.

Let us -- or at least me--know how you do on this, Miss Sullivan.  If I may
be of (further?) assistance, I should be pleased to do so.

Best regards,

Capt. Keller



Ralph