Additional information about these "space heaters":

Why would the Wylie family need these? Weren't there fireplaces?

Yes, but with a ~4000 square foot house and 7 fireplaces, it still would have been extremely cold. Theophilus Wylie & his family would have had portable stoves in most if not all rooms and the Andrew Wylie family may have had some as well. In addition, these "space heaters" are designed to be portable which would have eased the controlled and safe transfer of heat to places like the middle of a room or the bed. 

But... if they had so many heat sources wouldn't the house get too hot? 

While houses in the 1800s were intentionally built to help retain heat and regulate temperature, the winter months lasted a lot longer and were significantly colder than today. In addition, the ceilings in the house are higher than you would typically find in a house built today which is great for cooling the house in the summer months but would make it harder to fully heat the house in the winter months. Theophilus Wylie was a meticulous record keeper and would occasionally record temperatures in his diary when they reached extreme highs or lows. We also have a letter in the Wylie collection that describes a frigid morning in the boys bedroom when the water in their washbasin froze over. 

How would they typically heat the house? Wouldn't it be expensive? 

Wood was one of the primary heating sources in the US for a long time until it was replaced by coal around 1850. In our collection we have a lot more letters that mention coal use from the Theophilus Wylie family; this makes sense because they would have been living in the house when the popularity and accessibility of coal was beginning to increase. Louisa (Wylie) Boisen and her husband Hermann had a letter correspondence where Hermann suggests that if they were to move to Kansas they would not be able to take their current stove because "they burn coal here exclusively". Louisa replies by saying "if we had to burn as much coal as they did to keep warm, that would be quite an item of expense"; this implies that coal was still too expensive for the common family in 1883 when the letters were written. This was because mining machines weren't developed until a year later in 1884 and because there were two main types of coal at the time: bituminous (soft coal) and anthracite (hard coal). Soft coal was more readily available but dirtier while hard coal was in a more limited supply but smokeless; Louisa was probably referring to anthracite since it has a higher price point, but it's unclear. Based on these letters, it seems as though Theophilus Wylie & family were either using exclusively wood or a mix of wood and coal.  

Indiana Coal Consumption: Then vs. Now

Does Indiana still use coal? 

Yes! Despite coal production dropping 37% in the U.S. from 2007-2017, Indiana was only behind two other states (Texas and North Dakota) in coal consumption in 2019. More coal is also being consumed than produced in Indiana so additional coal comes from other surrounding states. Today, coal consumption has gone down since it peaked in usage in 2008 with 88.5% of Indiana's electricity being powered by coal. Based on data from 2020, coal still fuels over half of Indiana's electricity net generation despite the efforts to replace it with natural gas and renewable resources in the last 15 years.

Why are we still using coal as opposed to renewable sources? 

There are several varying reasons why we still use coal in Indiana. Indiana doesn't have the infrastructure in place for a lot of renewable energy sources like wind and solar (although these do exist in some areas of the state). Indiana also uses  In addition, coal provides jobs, is consistently reliable, helps with the manufacture of steel, and is far cheaper at face value than any other fuel source. Indiana politicians cite many of these reasons when reinforcing the decision to prioritize coal production & usage. 

What can I do about it? 

Thankfully, as each year passes, coal plants attempt to reduce their emissions and wind/solar energy usage in the state increases slowly (10% of state's energy in 2021). However, Indiana as of 2019 was #8 in a list of the top carbon dioxide emissions in each US state, so there is still much to be done. There are companies like Carbon Neutral Indiana that will measure your carbon footprint and help you reduce it as well as share tips and resources. 

Resources from the Indiana Capital Chronicle:

• Contact your Indiana State Senator, where the bill will go next. HB 1007 is co-sponsored by Indiana State Senator Eric Koch.
• Sign your household or business up for a renewable power alternative. One supplier, AES Indiana, notes that a “typical customer using 1,000 kWh per month enrolled at the 100% level [for renewable energy credits] would pay an additional $5.50 on their [monthly] AES Indiana electric bill.” 
• Get a home energy audit and weatherize your home. Sealing leaks, improving insulation, and investing in high efficiency lighting and appliances can significantly reduce a home’s energy use and energy bill.
• Learn about other utility and energy bills that are going through the Indiana state legislature, and comment on those too. Here’s an article from IndyStar, Advocates Worry Energy Bills Give More Power to Utilities, Put Consumers at Risk. House Bill 1417, also sponsored by Representative Ed Soliday, would put ratepayers on the hook to subsidize new fossil gas plants.
• Additional resources from Carbon Neutral Indiana

Tips: 

• Ecosia is a free search engine that plants a tree for every 50 searches you perform. 
• Avoid fast fashion if you can.
• Try not to fly/drive as much.
• Invest in renewable energy in your home or car.
• Reduce meat consumption even just one day a week.
• Make sure your house is correctly insulated.