Two miles from where George Washington crossed the Delaware, on a tiny island where he had been living some thirty years, electric wizard Jim Willis rigged his modest bungalow with 100 dry cells of electricity. He also tapped into the nearby trolley line for another 600 volts. There were over 150 electrical connections which animated the place from top to bottom. In 1912, the Popular Electricity and World's Advance described the wonder thus: "…when all the switches are closed, it is almost impossible to move a muscle or touch a thing without receiving a shock or turning on the lights or ringing an alarm bell. If you pick up a book, a pipe, or lift the lid of his tobacco jar, you start an alarm. You can't even take a pin from his pin cushion, or a toothpick from its holder, nor can you even turn the water into the lavatory without the same result." Willis also created an electric clock out of an empty tomato can which would automatically draw the shades when the lights came on!
He welcomed visitors and averaged a few thousand a year. If anyone attempted to swipe something, a gong alarm would sound.
Willis' Electric Bungalow Willis Island on the Delaware. Real Photo Postcard c. 1912 Collection Dull Tool Dim Bulb.
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