Photos of Families in the Sitting Room - Harold and Ruth Mares

Harold and Ruth Mares

The Mares family owned Hearthstone from 1963-1986.  They had six children, one of whom is still a volunteer with Hearthstone and who leads tours through his childhood home.

In 1986, after the kids were grown and Ruth had passed, Harold Mares decided to sell the residence.  The city of Appleton made an offer.  The city announced that it intended to demolish the house for a turn lane for Memorial Drive.  The city's shortsightedness, and the irony that the donation by Albert Priest would lead to the destruction of his home, caused outrage throughout the city.  People decided to act.

Fourteen citizens banded together, formed a non-profit organization named Friends of Hearthstone, and raised the money to purchase the house to create a museum, thereby preserving this national landmark, its history, and its art, for generations to come.

Friends of Hearthstone, Inc. still owns and operates the museum.