^ UNIVERSITY^ PENNSYLVANIA. LIBRARIES DOMESTIC SECURITY: THE HOLMES BURGLAR ALARM TELEGRAPH, 1853 - 1876 Karen C. S. Donnelly A THESIS The Graduate Program in Historic Preservation Presented to the faculties of the University of Pennsylvania in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE 1992 'HiA^ Adjiinct Associate Professor atifon. Advisor I^^.,v^vixt\ y .Tyjr Samuel Y. Harris, Adjunct Associate Professor Historic Preservation, Reader ivj/d G. De Longr f Architecture Graduate Group Chairman AiA 0> OiC^ I T-,' .v.,-^ TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS ii LIST OF APPENDICES v INTRODUCTION 1 Chapter 1: ANTECEDENTS 4 Social and Historical Context Telegraph Technology Chapter 2: PATENT ANALYSIS 17 Development of the Domestic Burglar Alarm Telegraph Development of Central Station Alarms Chapter 3: CASE STUDIES 66 Lockwood-Mathews Mansion Museum, Norwalk, Connecticut Bowne House, Flushing, New York John Eraser House, Riverton, New Jersey Beechwood, Newport, Rhode Island Armour-Stiner (Octagon) House, Irvington- On-Hudson, New York Maish House, Des Moines, Iowa Wilderstein, Rhinebeck, New York Chapter 4: CONCLUSIONS 106 APPENDICES 108 NOTES 275 SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY 291 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Figure Page 1. Cells Linked to Form a Battery 11 2. Producing Mechanical Motion with an Electromagnet 13 3. Electrical Schematic, Open Circuit Alarm System 22 . 4. Operation of Bell with Spring Circuit Breaker . . 23 5. Edwin Holmes 25 .... 6. Portable Model of Telegraph House Alarm 27 7. Switch Annunciator 28 8. Switch Annunciator; 12 and 15 Knob Varieties . . 29 9. Bell Apparatus: Holmes Burglar Alarm Telegraph . 31 ... 10. Holmes City Directory Listings, 1867 - 1900 32 11. Wires Exiting Annunciator Panel 34 12. Wires Led Behind Window Molding 35 13. Regularity of Floor-Embedded Wires 35 14. Floor Groover 36 15. Door Contact or Key, 1853 37 16. Window Contact or Key, 1853 38 .... 17. Visible Portion of Door Contact (Dotting) 39 18. Dotting Contact 40 19. Window Plate-Type Contact 41 20. Window Design Restricts Visibility 42 21. Completing the Window Circuit 44 11