Going Places
Edison, Ford Winter Estates boasts museum, gardens
By THOMAS MICHALSKI
Article published on Wednesday, Sept. 5, 2007  |
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| Photo by THOMAS MICHALSKI |
| Thomas Edison’s home looks pretty much as it did when the inventor and his family lived there decades ago. |
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The Edison and Ford Winter Estates in Fort Myers offers tours of historic homes, gardens, a museum and an interesting laboratory that looks today as it did when it was in full operation many years ago.
The homes of inventor Thomas Edison and auto pioneer Henry Ford are now located in the midst of an urban city, but in their heyday the area was little more than open ranges which is exactly why the pair settled there.
Located about six miles from Exit 138 off Intersate 75, a pleasant two-hour or so drive from the Tampa Bay area, the attraction at 2350 McGregor Blvd. dates back to 1885 when Edison arrived by boat and purchased the property.
Within two years his home, Seminole Lodge, another house and a laboratory were erected. Thomas and Mina Edison had difficulty reaching the remote homestead due to the lack of transportation.
It wasn’t until 1904 that the railroad reached Fort Myers. Ten years later Edison invited his friend, Henry Ford, for a visit. Ford liked the area so much that he purchased a nearby property. The men and their families spent a lot of time at their Fort Myers estates. Edison’s 3,900-square-foot lodge was prefabricated in New England and shipped down. It and the furnishings cost $6,000. The home boasts appointments from Edison’s New Jersey home.
Ford’s property was called The Mangoes because of the many fruit trees. Signs today still warn visitors to watch for falling mangoes that bombard the sidewalks and pathways. The house cost Ford $20,000. He built two additions in the 1920s. It boasts, among other things, an original Edison electric ceiling fan in the kitchen. Edison’s family sold the estate to the city for $1, but Ford’s family parted with the automaker’s property for $1.2 million.
A tour of each house is worth seeing. Also nearby are former guest cottages now used to display classic cars and other historic items. Nearby is the duo’s museum where many of their original inventions and a few automobiles are displayed.
Edison’s original laboratory was moved to Henry Ford’s Museum in Dearborn, Mich., in 1928. The bamboo growing there was used in his research of ways to make filaments for his early light bulbs. A nearby pier was at one time much larger and used to bring building and other materials to the property.
A second laboratory, built in 1928, still stands on the property and is open to tours.
Impressive is a massive banyan tree that originally was a gift from Harvey Firestone. In 1925 it was only 4 feet tall. At that time in history Firestone, Ford and Edison were working on ways to produce domestic rubber. The banyan tree produces a milky white sap that can produce rubber.
It now spreads over an acre in diameter and reportedly is the second largest in the world. The three men established the Edison Botanic Research Co. that proved that goldenrod, a common weed growing to an average height of 3 to 4 feet, produced 5 percent yield of latex. Edison produced goldenrod in excess of 12 feet, yielding a much greater amount of latex.
The museum store, once a barn used to store chemicals and farm equipment, offers educational materials and works by local artists.
The attraction is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and to 9 p.m. during December. There are a number of events throughout the year.
Reasonable ticket pricing varies from $12.80 for adults and $6.80 for children, plus tax, for the home and garden estates walk; $8.80 and $4.40 for the laboratory and museum only; $15.20 and $6.80 for the in-depth botanical walk, and $10 and $1 for the Holiday House tour. Different sites are available for weddings, corporate and other events. Guided tours and self-guided audio boxes are available.
Call 239-334-7419 or visit www.efwefla.org for further information.
Thomas Michalski travels around the state to visit various Florida attractions. You can e-mail him at tmichalski@TBNweekly.com with any suggestions.
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Article published on Wednesday, Sept. 5, 2007
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