Kitty's Bedroom

Kitty's Bedroom

Kitty Rogers was 18 years old when she moved into Hearthstone.  This room reflects her at that age.  She lived here again after returning from college and before she was married. 

Kitty had all of the advantages of being the only child in a wealthy family.  She attended Lawrence University as a prepatory school.  She went to Wells College in New York to study literature.  Upon her return to Appleton she performed in plays, played in piano recitals, learned to paint by studying with Fredricka Crane, and enjoyed an active social life including going to local baseball games to cheer on the Appleton teams with her friends.  Kitty also loved lawn tennis.  In fact, Henry built her a tennis court in the front yard that was lit with electric lights so she could play at night.  How utterly modern! 

Please notice the very unusual fireplace in this room.  It is original to the house.  The design was chosen by Kitty from a pattern book and was installed despite not being in keeping with the rest of the decor.  It represents the Colonial Revival movement in America, stemming from the Centennial in 1876, which was very popular when Hearthstone was being built. 

It is fair to say that Kitty was pampered as the only child.  The Rogers had lost two older children in infancy to disease.  They clearly doted on Kitty.

The closet in this room is just like the one in the Master Bedroom.  It has a back door accessed from the back hall across from Mary Deimer’s room.  The closet serves as a counterpoint between the two young ladies, who came from vastly different backgrounds, and who lived on either side of the closet.

Despite coming from a privileged background, Kitty's life was not all joy.  Her marriage ends in divorce after ten years.  She is childless (devoting herself to raising money for Wells College).  She goes to live with extended family in North Carolina in her old age.  Sadly, Kitty is buried in an unmarked grave.

On the other hand, Mary's life is full of family.  When Henry dies and Cremora then moves to New York, Mary returns to the Appleton area to live in Greenville.  She marries a farmer named George Schmitt.  They have eight children!  One of her grandchildren (who is 86 years old) recently visited the house and shared recollections of what Mary told her about living here.  She provided a marvelous second hand account that brought Mary Deimer's history to life.  In fact, more is known about Mary's later life than Kitty's.

These two young women were separated by only a closet and were roughly the same age... but they led dramatically different lives.