Charles Redheffer and his machine became well known in Philadelphia in 1812. Redheffer claimed he had invented a perpetual motion machine and exhibited it in a house near the Schuylkill River in the outskirts of the city. He charged an admission fee of $5 (some sources claim $1) for men to view it; depending on the source, women were admitted free or at a charge of $1. The machine caused a sensation, and Redheffer lobbied for funds to build a larger version.