The Charles Ringling Estate was pretty high tech in it’s time, it was made to be a self sustaining estate. It had a barn with a chicken coop, carriage house for carriages and horses, an underground cistern system that collected water from the gutters of all the buildings, and a green house. Now this cistern system fed water to the fire suppression system in the house, the outdoor fountain, the horses in the barn, and the plants in the greenhouse. Yesterday, as we were cleaning out the greenhouse, we found out how high tech this estate was for its time. The greenhouse was heated by a radiator system. Not only was the greenhouse heated, but the tables that held the plants were heated from below so the plants would survive the cold wisconsin winters! As history buffs, these things just amaze us! Hope you enjoy us sharing this with you!
