At Sagamore Hill, a windmill originally built with the house was later replaced by a second windmill and a supplemental gas-powered pump in 1905; together the mills pumped fresh water from a well to storage tanks and a hot water heater in the house. Despite its rural location, the house had amenities comparable to most city homes, including fresh water, gas lights, and kerosene lamps. When the Roosevelts added the North Room in 1905, they had electrical wiring installed, but electrical service did not reach the neighborhood until 1918, so a lightbulb could not be switched on there for 13 years. The well remained in use for many years because municipal water did not become available to Sagamore Hill until the 1990s. In 1913, Theodore Roosevelt recalled climbing the windmill with an oil can without shutting it off, being struck on the scalp when the wind shifted the paddle, and returning to the house covered in blood, where Mrs. Roosevelt dryly reproved him for spoiling the rugs.
