(announcer) Imagination Storybooks by DCMP presents: "Lights On! Ike Hoover Electrifies the White House," written by Cynthia Simmelink Becker, narrated by Tristan Snyder, audio description narrated by Erin Rieman and written by Bonnie Barlow from illustrations by Benjamin Hummel.

(describer) On the cover, a man stands in front of the White House. He wears a white shirt with rolled-up sleeves, red criss-cross suspenders, and brown pants. He sports a riding cap-- a soft, cloth hat with a small brim. Brown hair sticks out underneath. A dirt path that leads to the White House is surrounded by green grass and a tree. In a dimly lit space, a kerosene lamp with a clear glass hurricane cover shines with a small, flickering flame. It casts soft shadows on the brown sepia tones of the surrounding walls. The brown-haired young man gazes toward distant houses sheltered by trees. His arms are lean, and he holds a toolbox with a saw and other tools overflowing its edges.

(narrator) Washington City, District of Columbia. One crisp spring morning in 1891, a skinny young man with a long nose walked up the driveway to the President's House. He wore freshly washed work clothes and carried a wooden toolbox.

(describer) The White House is a three-story, rectangular-shaped building with two wings extending to the sides from a central front porch. Three-story-tall, evenly spaced columns line the front of the curved porch at the top of the staircase that leads up from the lawn.

(narrator) He entered the basement by the servants' door in the rear. "Irwin Hoover reporting for work," he said to the first man he saw. "Mr. Edison sent me." The man frowned. "Look mighty young for such a big job. How old are you?" "Nineteen, sir." Irwin stood as straight and tall as possible. "I was trained in the Edison General Electric Company shop. "Learned all about wiring for electric lights. "Mr. Edison's lights are a wonder. "They're going to replace candles and kerosene lamps. Gas lights too." "So I've heard," the man said. He shook hands with Irwin. "Name's Samuel. "I'll take you to see Admiral Baird. "He's the Navy man in charge of this electrification project." Samuel turned toward a dark hallway. "Come along, Ike." "Pardon, sir. My name is Irwin." Samuel paid no attention. He introduced "Ike the Electrician" to the cook, the washerwoman, and the gardener. From that day on, Irwin became "Ike" to everyone in the President's House.

(describer) At the near end of the front hall with its tile floor is an open doorway. The walls on either side hold kerosene lamps about six feet above the floor. In the doorway, the short, balding man has his hand on his hip as he looks Ike up and down. In his Navy uniform, the admiral looks over the generator with Samuel and Ike. The generator is a large, vertical, black cylinder about eight feet tall set on a rectangular base. The cylinder contains coils and a rotor that turns the machine and generates a field of electricity.

(narrator) They found the admiral in the large State, War, and Navy building next door. The admiral was inspecting the new generator that would supply electric power to both buildings. "My men started wiring and hanging new lights," the Admiral told Ike. "But nothing worked properly. So, I asked Mr. Edison to send over his best electrician." Ike's mouth stretched into a wide grin. Admiral Baird looked Ike up and down. "How old are you?" he asked. "Nineteen, sir," Ike said. "I learned all about wiring electric lights in Mr. Edison's shop." "Well, I trust Mr. Edison," the Admiral said. "Check all the work my men did. "Fix their mistakes, then finish wiring the main floor. "After that, wire the upper floors. Samuel will be your helper." Without another word, he turned back to the generator. "Come along," said Samuel. "We'll go back to the President's House and I'll show you around."

(describer) In the dining room, with high walls and windows, a long table, and huge chandelier, a small, furry animal peeks out from behind a curtain. A fireplace has a huge mirror above its mantel reflecting the large, long room.

(narrator) As they walked, Samuel gave Ike tips about working in the great mansion. "President and Mrs. Harrison keep a strict schedule. "Breakfast at 8:30, lunch at 1:30, "dinner at 6:30. Be careful you don't disturb them." They returned to the basement, then Samuel led the way up the stairs. Ike stopped on the top step and looked around. He had never seen such a house. The center hallway was long. The ceilings were high. The wooden floors were so polished he could see his reflection. Ike looked into a large formal dining room. The polished table shone like a pool of water in the morning light. He counted 32 chairs around the table. Two very large glass chandeliers hung from the ceiling. Ike wondered if they had been wired for electricity.

(describer) Samuel and Ike are dwarfed by the high walls and ceiling. In a long hallway lined with columns, more massive chandeliers hang from the decorated ceiling. Arched windows with clear glass at the top and stained-glass designs below line the passageway. Ike and Samuel gaze up at the massive chandeliers.

(narrator) "The President's family takes their meals in this smaller room," Samuel said, pointing to the left. The family dining room looked large to Ike. He ate breakfast and supper every day in his parents' small kitchen. Farther along the main hallway, bright red and blue patterns shimmered on the wooden floor. Morning sunlight filtered through a wall of colored glass. Samuel told him a famous New York City artist created the glass wall. His name was Louis Comfort Tiffany. A glass door in the wall opened to an entrance hall. "This is where guests arrive," Samuel said.

(describer) Soft, rose-patterned shadows and elaborate stained-glass designs decorate the walls.

(narrator) Across the main hallway, three elegant reception rooms stood open. One was painted and furnished in green. The middle room's curved walls were blue. Ike had never seen a room with no corners. The third room had red walls. Its ceiling was painted with red, white, and blue ribbons and silver, gold, and copper stars.

(describer) Samuel, with his handlebar moustache, tie, vest, and garters on his upper sleeves, stands erect and smiles at Ike. They greet the brunette housekeeper. Her hair is piled up in a large bun, and she wears a long dress, white apron, and white servant's cap.

(narrator) At the far end of the hall, Ike could see the wide ballroom called the East Room. Ike looked from one end of the room to the other. My family's whole house would fit inside here, he thought. Samuel led the way up another set of stairs. "President Harrison and his staff have offices "at this end of the second floor. "The President works at his desk "from nine in the morning till noon. Don't disturb him," Samuel warned. They stepped through a door into the family quarters. The head housekeeper appeared quickly. She was eager to tell Ike about the family. She spoke almost in a whisper. "There's more than just the President "and his missus living here. "Their daughter, Mary, and her husband "have the northwest corner bedroom. "The dressing room beside it is the nursery "for their little boy, Benjamin. "He has a German nurse to look after him. "The Harrisons' son, Russell, and his wife, Mary, are often here," the housekeeper continued. "They have a little daughter, Marthena. "Then there's a niece, Mary Dimmick. "Just think, three Marys in the house. "Don't you know that can get confusing! "Mrs. Harrison's father lives here too. "Reverend Scott is a kind old gentleman. Nearly ninety, he is." The housekeeper led the way past the President's bedroom. She opened a door and motioned for Ike to look inside. "It's a toilet! The only one in the house," she said proudly.

(describer) The toilet is small and round, with a plumbing pipe going up the wall to the rectangular water tank mounted above. A pull chain hangs down, which is used to flush the toilet.

(narrator) What a luxury! Ike thought. His family did not have such a convenience. Like all the neighbors, his family had an outdoor privy. Ike had spotted privies for the staff behind the President's house.

(describer) Ike's gaze follows Samuel's finger, pointing upward to the ceiling. The wooden ladder is propped at an angle, leaning against the top of the wall below, where the square trapdoor gapes open.

(narrator) Samuel pointed at a ladder at the end of the hall. It stretched upward through a hole in the ceiling. "That is how you get to the third floor. Mostly storage up there." Ike eyed the small opening. Carrying tools and supplies and rolls of wire up that ladder would be a challenge. Ike had another worry. Patterned paper and painted designs decorated the walls and ceilings throughout the house. He would need to be ever so careful as he cut holes for electric wires.

(describer) The pattern on the crown molding at the top of the walls is loosely styled swirling roses. All around on the walls, hearts and curlicues create intertwined patterns resembling more flowers.

(narrator) After his tour, Ike got right to work inspecting the wiring done by the Admiral's men. He showed Samuel how to make the simple repairs. Ike tackled the problems that needed complete rewiring.

(describer) Ike kneels on the wood floor in front of a cutout in a wall and strings thick wires up into the space toward the third floor. He has nails clenched between his teeth and a hammer on the floor nearby. Behind Ike and next to a portrait of Abraham Lincoln, a man with white hair and a full beard watches.

(narrator) The following day, Ike was on his knees drilling a hole. He heard a voice behind him. "If those wires touch the wall, will the house catch on fire?" Ike answered without looking up. "The wire is coated with tin and covered in rubber, "then wrapped in waterproof cotton. "We use ceramic knobs and tubes to hold the wire in place. Keeps it from rubbing against the wall." Ike slipped a piece of leather under the head of a nail and hammered a knob to a wooden beam in the wall. "Most interesting," said the voice. "You must be Ike the Electrician." Ike turned his head. A plump man with white hair and a neatly trimmed beard stood behind him. The man held out his hand. "We are so pleased to have your services here." "Mr... Mr. President!" Ike stammered. He scrambled to stand up and shake the offered hand. "It's an honor to work in this house, sir." Ike found many surprises in the President's house. A door at the west end opened into a large room with glass walls and a glass roof. This was the conservatory. It was filled with flowers and fruit trees. Real oranges and lemons grew fat on the branches. He saw several small greenhouses outside, all filled with plants. Orchids were Mrs. Harrison's favorite flower. They bloomed in pretty pots throughout the President's House.

(describer) A pot holds a fruit tree bearing round fruit on its leafy branches.

(narrator) Ike worked hard, but found time to make friends with the staff. His favorite was Dolly Johnson, the cook. She worked in a basement kitchen that looked like a cave. Two open fireplaces, each large enough to roast a whole pig on a spit, took up most of the room. Dolly prepared the simple foods the Harrisons had enjoyed back home in Indiana. Her kitchen was filled with tempting smells.

(describer) The African-American cook, Dolly, holds out a pie for Ike to smell. He smiles as he leans forward and breathes it in. The spacious kitchen has high shelves, with pots, tins, and foodstuffs. Dishes are stacked vertically in narrow shelves. A massive, black, wood-burning stove with heating areas above and an oven below has burners that take up much of the space. More pots and pans fill its surface.

(narrator) Chicken with noodles, pumpkin soup, onion pie, bread and butter pickles, persimmon pudding. Ike stopped every morning to sample a few of Dolly's buttermilk biscuits, hot from the oven and drizzled with sorghum. In one basement room, Ike was surprised to find a leather-covered billiard table. A rack on the wall held the cue sticks neatly in place. Dolly told him the entire Harrison family, even the ladies, enjoyed the game. They spent many happy afternoons hidden away in the basement, playing billiards.

(describer) The windows at ground level let in the streaming, late-afternoon sun. The light casts shadows in the room and outlines the deep, carved grooves in the sides and plump legs of the billiard table.

(narrator) At last, work on the main floor was finished. Ike and Samuel used the hydraulic elevator to carry tools and rolls of wire to the second floor. Next, they lugged supplies up the ladder. Some boxes barely fit through the opening to the third floor.

(describer) Ike pushes the large spool of wire across the attic floor.

(narrator) Ike and Samuel used kerosene lamps to light the dark attic. Crawling across the ceiling beams, they unrolled wire. Ike cut holes and dangled wires into the second floor rooms. Later, he would connect the wires to ceiling lights.

(describer) Ike uses a hand drill bit, an augur, to make the holes for the wires. The U-shaped handle extends to the side. One hand holds on to the spindle at the top as the other cranks the handle clockwise to drive a bit into the wood to create a hole. Ike's mouth is open, and his eyes are wide as he stares at the little creature at eye level in front of him. It is short, has a long, lithe body, and thin tail. It looks back at him.

(narrator) One day, Ike saw two tiny black eyes staring at him from behind his toolbox. With a scritch and scratch of claws on wood, the little animal scurried away. It was long and low to the ground with a furry tail. Too big for a rat, Ike thought. Ike asked Samuel about the strange creature in the attic. "A ferret." Samuel rolled his eyes. "When the Harrisons moved in, "this house was overrun with rats. "Ms. Harrison could not abide rats. "She tried traps and poison. "She hired men to shoot those pests. "Nothing worked. "Then she heard that ferrets eat rats. "Mrs. Harrison bought a passel of those critters. "I had to carry them to the attic and turn them loose. "It worked. The ferrets slipped about "in the shadows and got fat on rats. Now we keep a couple in the basement too." Ike thought Mrs. Harrison was a smart woman. At last, the work in the attic was finished. Ike began to install lights and switches on the second floor. Soon, new eyes watched him. All the President's family wanted to know about the electrical equipment. Ike got used to having a Harrison or two peeking over his shoulder. They asked questions, and he tried his best to answer them. Ike's own family was eager to hear about the President's family. In the evenings, Ike told his family about his day. "Imagine me, barely out of knickers, "explaining electric wiring to the President of the United States!" His younger brother, James, wanted to hear every detail again. "Early to bed and early to rise. That is the Harrison motto," he said. Ike did not want to gossip. However, once in a while, he offered an observation. "The President is very careful about his appearance," Ike said at supper one night. "He brought his own barber all the way from Indiana. The President likes his hair and beard trimmed just so." Ike described Mrs. Harrison as "homey, kind, and motherly." She was also an artist. She taught china-painting classes for Washington ladies. President and Mrs. Harrison enjoyed spending time with their family. They did not give many large dinner parties. They rarely attended theater performances. Every Wednesday afternoon, the President took a long walk. He liked the time alone. In bad weather, he rode in his dark green carriage, a Studebaker Landau. On those afternoons, Ike did his drilling and wiring in the President's office.

(describer) The President sits in a barber's chair, covered with an apron protecting his suit. The barber opens a pair of scissors and gestured wildly as he approaches the President, who sits back in an elevated chair, his feet resting on a footrest. The barber sports a handlebar moustache, slicked-back, curly hair, and a white coat. Ike presses his lips tightly together as he concentrates on pushing the wires up through the drilled holes to the floor above.

(narrator) Ike replaced the metal candleholders on the walls throughout the house with electric lamps. He wired old gas chandeliers for electricity. Ike was making progress. Mrs. Harrison was worried. "What will we do if the electric lights go out?" The President was quick to solve the problem. "Leave a few of the old gas lights in working order," he told Ike. The summer turned hot and damp. Ike's skin felt sticky, and his clothes were wet. Sweat rolled down his face. It dripped from his chin as he worked. Mosquitoes flew in through the open windows to pester everyone. Sewer gases filled the air with an awful smell. The President and his family went to the seashore on vacation.

(describer) On a beach, the President wears a striped tank top and shorts for swimming. His wife wears a short dress and leggings. The boy runs toward the water. The girl builds a castle in the sand.

(narrator) Ike kept working. When the Harrisons returned at the end of the summer, the work was done. More than 1,000 light bulbs were ready to brighten the mansion. Ike toured every room one last time. He pushed the round buttons to be sure each light turned on and off. He knew all the nooks and crannies of the famous house. The staff was like family. He was sad to leave. On his last workday, Ike walked slowly up the driveway. The big, white house sat like a giant birthday cake on a green tablecloth. The American flag fluttered on the rooftop. President Harrison had the pole installed there. Ike remembered standing with the staff on July 4th, the day the new 44-star flag flew for the first time. The 44th star was for the new state of Wyoming. Saying goodbye was hard. Two days after he left, Ike received a letter from the President's House. It was an offer of a job to be the President's Electrician. The Harrisons were afraid to touch the new electric switches. They wanted Ike to turn the lights on at night and turn them off after they went to bed. Of course, he would repair any electrical problems too. The new job paid less than Ike earned from Mr. Edison, but he loved working in the President's House. "I'll do it," Ike said.

(describer) Ike holds a piece of paper with the President's Seal on it. His eyes are wide.

(narrator) A few weeks later, on September 24, 1891, President and Mrs. Harrison gave a dinner party. The Marine Band played while guests strolled among the ferns and flowers in the conservatory.

(describer) Guests are dressed in fancy attire. A woman wears a bright blue dress with a gold bow around her waist and long white gloves on her arms. The man next to her wears a brown suit. The people stare up at the large chandeliers.

(narrator) When it was time for dinner, the President led the guests down the hall to the East Room. The great ballroom was dark. Guests spoke in whispers as they entered. When everyone was gathered, the President gave a signal.

(describer) Ike, dressed in a suit with his hair neatly combed, stands ready by the light switches on the wall. He looks upward along with the others.

(narrator) Ike pushed the switch. A burst of light brightened the room and glowed on the faces of the guests. "Ahhh," everyone gasped. Then they clapped and cheered. Ike nearly burst with pride. He had electrified the President's House.

(announcer) This has been, "Lights On! Ike Hoover Electrifies the White House," written by Cynthia Simmelink Becker, narrated by Tristan Snyder, audio description narrated by Erin Rieman and written by Bonnie Barlow from illustrations by Benjamin Hummel. This has been a production of Imagination Storybooks by DCMP. For more great accessible audiobooks, visit us online at ImaginationStorybooks.org.