The Fascinating 1930s Smart Home Featured On American Pickers

Since the 2010 debut of History's reality series "American Pickers," nearly 400 episodes have made their way to air. In that incredible run, the program has featured its fair share of astonishing sights and intriguing antique artifacts. It's occasionally even been the source of controversy as viewers have occasionally called into question the legitimacy of some discoveries made by host Mike Wolfe and his rotating crew of antiquing co-hosts.

In terms of amazing finds, it's safe to say the wildly customized home that series regulars Robbie Wolfe and "Jersey" Jon Szalay came across during a Season 23 trip to Caro, Michigan ranks pretty high. Arrangements had, of course, been made for Wolfe and Szalay to navigate their Antique Archaeology Ford van to the property for a visit. Even still, the duo were absolutely wowed by the home of the late W.J. Moore when they pulled up to the carriage house, as its unique exterior design is a legit stunner even from the street.

What the pair find while touring the home's interior proves even more thrilling, as the home boasts no end of peculiar design features, including several that, for all intents and purposes, serve as early versions of what we refer to now as smart home elements. There are, obviously, no Bluetooth connections or Alexa-like helpers to be found. But the home's hard-wired functionality is genuinely fascinating given the era in which its smart elements were conceived.

The "American Pickers" episode in which Wolfe and Szalay explore the custom home of Michigan inventor and telephone pioneer William James "W.J." Moore is titled "The Wizard's Castle," with Szalay exclaiming that's what the house resembles as he approaches it. It's hard to argue with the label since the home's architectural flourishes give it the look of a dwelling you might read about in the pages of a fairy tale. The home is, of course, designed to deliver that visual impact, as it's built in the Storybook Style, an offshoot of the Tudor Revival Style of architecture.

It was Moore who designed the "wizard's castle" seen on "American Pickers." It seems Moore was a bit of a real-world wizard, fashioning himself an inventor by the age of 18 and dabbling in electronics, automobiles, telephone technologies, and yes, architectural design throughout his life. He was, perhaps, best known for contributions to the communications arena, founding the Moore Telephone Manufacturing Company and Moore Telephone System in Michigan in the late 1800s. 

Moore relocated the business to Caro at the behest of local interests in 1896 and in 1914 purchased a 1.1-acre plot of land, renovating the Colonial-style main house and carriage house into the home of his dreams. Not surprisingly, the perpetual tinkerer sought to outfit that home with all manner of technological features that were — much like Moore himself — way ahead of their time. 

The first look Wolfe and Szalay get at Moore's smart home is at the carriage house, which served not only in its titular capacity, but also as Moore's workshop. Upon entry, the "American Pickers" stars find a 1930s-era Pontiac that is, to their chagrin, not for sale. However, their tour guide — Moore's great-great grandson, Steven Shields — is quick to point out the intricate pulley system inside, explaining it functioned as an automatic garage door opener long before they existed. He also shows off the zipline Moore installed that runs from the garage to the backyard pool.

Once Wolfe and Szalay step inside the opulent main house, they find Moore had outdone even himself in outfitting the home with distinctly modern conveniences. A case could be made that his smart home features were downright futuristic, with Moore automating the property in ways few designers of the day likely imagined.

In the absence of the wireless tech needed to run some essential modern smart home devices, by the 1930s Moore essentially hard-wired the entire property to control things including door locks, speaker systems, interior and exterior lighting, and the carriage house doors. Moore even outfitted the property with an intricate burglar alarm designed to lock all the doors, turn on all the property lights, and through a connection to the telephone system, alert local authorities. Those features are all controlled through a single 28-button control panel inside the house.

As Shields explains to Wolfe and Szalay during the "American Pickers" episode, many of those features are not entirely operational due to electrical malfunction. But he does assure them that measures are being taken to restore the home's full capabilities according to Moore's vision. 

If you're wondering whether Wolfe and Szalay were hoping to acquire Moore's smart house, they weren't. They made no clear offer on the show to buy it. And it seems the house's current owner wasn't interested in hearing offers anyway, as Moore's descendants had only recently regained ownership after years of it being held by interests outside of the family. The W.J. Moore House website says their current mission is to both ensure the property remains with the family for the foreseeable future, and invest in getting it back in shape, as years of neglect had left the structures and grounds in a state of disrepair.

Wolfe and Szalay contributed to the restoration efforts by picking a handful of items they discovered digging around the carriage house. The pair paid Shields about $4,500 for some signs, a toolbox, a small-animal trap, a foot-powered motor, an old fishing reel and an antique workbench. It's nice to know they were doing their part, and Shields appeared sincerely appreciative of their help.