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Old 01-06-2009, 07:39 AM
 
Location: Michigan
29,391 posts, read 55,387,994 times
Reputation: 22042

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DEARBORN, Mich. — A fire in suburban Detroit has damaged a boarding house built for employees of inventor Thomas Edison that was among the first buildings to get electric lighting.

A spokeswoman for The Henry Ford museum complex says Monday afternoon's blaze was limited to the Sarah Jordan Boarding House.

FOXNews.com - Fire damages house among 1st wired for electricity - Local News | News Articles | National News | US News (http://www.foxnews.com/wires/2009Jan06/0,4670,EdisonHouseFire,00.html - broken link)
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Old 01-06-2009, 08:16 AM
 
Location: Parts Unknown, Northern California
48,564 posts, read 23,967,234 times
Reputation: 21237
I warned them that this new fangled electrical stuff would cause a fire.
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Old 01-06-2009, 08:29 AM
 
2,377 posts, read 5,383,624 times
Reputation: 1723
But they just don't listen.. do they??
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Old 01-06-2009, 11:14 AM
 
2,790 posts, read 6,329,322 times
Reputation: 1955
Well, you are about to get the inside scoop! My husband was there, with about 50 other employees until about 9:00 last night, wrapping and removing artifacts from the building, which is completely empty now.

An investigation is underway. The fire allegedly started when a contractor who was repairing the copper gutters to the front of the house, left to go retrieve a tool he needed. Whether he left another tool on or if a tool he was using blew over is uncertain at this point. Regardless the copper got too hot and ignited the wooden porch roof, which in turn burned through the front wall of the the building. One of the front bedrooms took the brunt of the damage. For certain, an antique rug and at least one quilt were lost. DH couldn't remember how many quilts were displayed on that bed off the top of his head. Of course the glass in the 2 windows broke and there are holes in the ceiling through the roof. there was also extensive water damage to the room below, the living room used by Mrs. Jordan's boarders, who were all employees of Thomas Edison.

The museum's carpenter's were called back to work, as were the HVAC guys. They building was borded up to prevent any further exposure to the elements, and they are checking the furnaces for damage. They need to get the heat back on ASAP and dry out the walls so they don't lose the lathe and plaster to freezing temperatures. Conservation has taken all the water damaged items to a facility to dry out. No is sure at this point when the building will re-open.

Mrs. Jordan was a cousin to Mrs. Edison. When her husband died, the Edisons moved her and her daughter to Melo Park and helped secure this building just down the road from the laboratory complex. Most of Edison's employees were bachelors, and this gave them a place to live, and her an income to raise her child.

On a personal note, I am heart-broken; this building is where DH did much of his courting when we were both employees of the museum. (Get your minds out of the gutter- it was a very proper and Victorian courtship!)

Last edited by MICoastieMom; 01-06-2009 at 11:16 AM.. Reason: clarification
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Old 01-07-2009, 08:48 AM
 
2,790 posts, read 6,329,322 times
Reputation: 1955
Found a video clip from local news station of fire.

Fire Damages Vintage Home at The Henry Ford || WXYZ.com | WXYZ-TV / Detroit | Detroit News, Weather, Sports and More
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Old 01-12-2009, 02:49 PM
 
Location: Orlando, Florida
43,854 posts, read 50,862,909 times
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Thanks so much MICoastieMom for all your first hand information and the link. It is situations like this that make posting on CD so great.
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Old 01-12-2009, 05:24 PM
 
8,978 posts, read 16,506,345 times
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Reminds me of the Lakota Souix brave who traveled East, went to trade school, and returned to his tribal home in South Dakota. His first job was to run electricity into the community washroom. He did so, thus becoming "The First American Indian in History to Wire a Head for a Reservation"....
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