About this Area
There are several things at Rosson House that don’t fall into a single room category, either because they’re found all over the home, like the ceilings and doors, or because they’re found in between rooms, like the doorbell switch and the telephone.
Find out more about the artifacts in these in-between areas by clicking the arrows on the top left above each image. Don’t see your favorite artifact here? Let us know you’d like to learn more about something by filling out this form.
Ceilings
Most of the ornamental metal ceilings at Rosson House are original to the home, except for the ceiling in the doctor’s office, which was replaced with a period-accurate ceiling was that was purchased in Ohio. The original ceilings are made of pressed steel (not tin), and were purchased from the Kinnear & Gager Company (we found several of Rosson House’s ceiling elements for sale in their 1890 catalog). You can learn more about the ceilings at Rosson House by reading our blog article, So Metal.
Cellar
Originally the cellar was dirt lined. Which family placed concrete lining in the cellar is unknown. According to Georgia (Gammel) Valliere, her mother used the cellar for canning food, and stored canned goods, luggage and other items there. Today the cellar is used for storage of cleaning supplies, signs, and stanchions.
Door Hardware
The door hardware at Rosson House, including the doorknobs, hinges, locks, and vertical door handles are all made of bronze with a copper finish. They were likely ordered from the Hibbard, Spencer, Bartlett & Co. catalog out of Chicago, Illinois. Learn more about the doorknobs and other items at Rosson House that were purchased via mail-order from our blog articles, Mail-Order Hardware & Houses and Historical Hardware at Rosson House.
Doorbell Switch
When restoration was being done at Rosson House, wires were found for a bell system that would have connected a doorbell in main bedroom upstairs to a switch and a secondary doorbell in the back hallway downstairs. It allowed for the doorbell to ring either upstairs or downstairs, which we believe would have been convenient for visits by Dr. Rosson’s patients. The doorbell in the main bedroom was removed early in the home’s history.
Flooring
At Rosson House, there are hardwood parquet wood floors in the rooms downstairs, and cheaper pine floors upstairs. The downstairs flooring at was ordered from the Johnson Wax company of Racine, Wisconsin, and the upstairs flooring was likely ordered from a local company. Over the years, many of the floors were covered with linoleum, which had to be removed during restoration of the home. Learn more about Victorian Era floors and floor coverings by reading our blog article, Fancy Floors.
Speaking Tube
During restoration of Rosson House, a lead pipe was found in the wall connecting the back hallway downstairs with the back hallway upstairs. Because the end of the pipe was about 4’5” from the floor in both places, and because it wasn’t connected to any plumbing in the home, it was determined that the pipe was actually a speaking tube. This device was a convenient way to speak with someone over a distance instead of yelling up or down the stairs to do so. The speaking tube mouthpieces at Rosson House are antiques that were purchased in Pennsylvania. The wooden plates behind them are modern. Aaron Goldberg wrote a letter while he lived at Rosson House (1897-1904) mentioning how the speaking tube was his daughters’ favorite thing about the house.
Telephone
We know from letters written by Whitelaw Reid, who rented Rosson House during the winters of 1895-6 and 1896-7, that the home had a telephone in the back hallway when it was first built. When restoration workers investigated the wall next to the south door, they discovered four wooden pegs in the brick and wires running behind plaster to attic. The current telephone was donated during the restoration and dates to the 1890s. The screw holes from the donated phone matched up exactly to old wooden plugs restoration workers found in the wall, suggesting that the original phone was very similar to this one.
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Hours Information
The Visitor Center opens 10 minutes before the first tour of the day. Our tour schedule is:
- Mon - Wed: Closed
- Thu - Sat: 10 AM, 11 AM, 12 PM, 1 PM, 2 PM, & 3 PM
- Sun: 12 PM, 1 PM, 2 PM, & 3 PM
- Holiday Closures: The Museum is closed on New Year's Day, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
Tickets for Museum tours can be purchased online in advance or in person.
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Thank you to these local organizations for their grants supporting our organization.
