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All the United States Florida Fort Myers Edison & Ford Winter Estates

Edison & Ford Winter Estates

One-time winter retreats of prolific inventor Thomas Edison and his friend Henry Ford.

Fort Myers, Florida

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Mina Edison’s Moonlight Garden. (Wikimedia Commons)   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edison_and_Fo...
Lipstick plant. (Wikimedia Commons)   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edison_and_Fo...
Lipstick plant. (Wikimedia Commons)   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edison_and_Fo...
Henry Ford’s winter home. (Wikimedia Commons)   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edison_and_Fo...
Edison’s winter home, view from the road. (Wikimedia Commons)   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edison_and_Fo...
Inside the house. (Wikimedia Commons)   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edison_and_Fo...
Edison, John Burroughs, and Ford at the estate in 1914. (Wikimedia Commons)   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edison_and_Fo...
View of the Caloosahatchee River from the estate. (Wikimedia Commons)   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edison_and_Fo...
Edison’s laboratory. (Wikimedia Commons)   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edison_and_Fo...
Banyan Tree   Jason Michael Walker / Atlas Obscura User
  stevenrosen / Atlas Obscura User
  stevenrosen / Atlas Obscura User
  savannalarge / Atlas Obscura User
Mina Edison’s Moonlight Garden   lindseycstraub / Atlas Obscura User
Henry Ford   lindseycstraub / Atlas Obscura User
Edison swimming pool with high dive   lindseycstraub / Atlas Obscura User
Edison Ford Winter Estate   lindseycstraub / Atlas Obscura User
  Jason Michael Walker / Atlas Obscura User
Edison Ford Winter Estate   lindseycstraub / Atlas Obscura User
  Jason Michael Walker / Atlas Obscura User
  Jason Michael Walker / Atlas Obscura User
  Jason Michael Walker / Atlas Obscura User
  Jason Michael Walker / Atlas Obscura User
  Jason Michael Walker / Atlas Obscura User
💡   Jason Michael Walker / Atlas Obscura User
Ford Flathead V-8 Engine   mskitty96 / Atlas Obscura User
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About

Thomas Alva Edison and Henry Ford, two of the most famous inventors in the history of the United States, kept adjacent winter homes beside the Caloosahatchee River in southwestern Florida. Today, their two homes, the Edison & Ford Winter Estates, are open to the public daily and house a historical museum and 17-acre botanical garden.

Thomas Edison first visited Florida in 1885, or so the story goes, and decided, at that time, that he would build a vacation home there. He purchased a piece of property on that first trip and, two years later, it was the site of Seminole Lodge, the name he gave his winter retreat. Seminole Lodge was used by Edison up until his death in 1931. Fifteen years prior to Edison's death, his friend Henry Ford purchased the adjoining property and "The Mangoes," a craftsman-style bungalow built in 1911 by Robert Smith of New York.

In 1947, Mina Edison donated the property to the City of Fort Myers in the memory of her husband. Her wish was that the site would be enjoyed by the public; it was opened for tours three years later in 1950. It would take another four decades before the Henry Ford estate was purchased and opened to the public for tours. In 2003, a non-profit was established - the Thomas Edison & Henry Ford Winter Estates - in order to protect and preserve the sites. Today, it is the most popular historic attraction in southwest Florida and looks exactly as it did back in Edison's lifetime.

Edison was an avid botanist and his gardens contain more than a thousand varieties of plants from all over the world. The plants are a bit strange: Edison saw the gardens as an experimental bed for industrial products and imported African Sausage Trees and a 400-foot banyan tree. Over the years, Edison built light bulb filaments from bamboo and turned goldenrod into rubber. Later, Edison's wife added roses, orchids, bromeliads, and other more traditional flora.

Edison's plants and gardens are the primary draw for tourists to the region, but there's a lot more on site. Even during his winter retreats, Edison couldn't get away from the laboratory. Near the home, he built a lab where he and his staff worked on some of his 1,000-plus inventions.

Related Tags

Thomas Edison Museums And Collections Henry Ford

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Hurricane Ian has taken out many of the plants the estates are known for, and the museum is in the process of slowly growing/replanting much of the garden. 

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  • nbj914
  • mskitty96
  • lindseycstraub
  • stevenrosen
  • savannalarge
  • Jason Michael Walker

Published

April 18, 2011

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  • Wikipedia: Edison & Ford Winter Estates: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edison_and_Ford_Winter_Estates
  • Yelp: Edison & Ford Winter Estates: http://www.yelp.com/biz/edison-and-ford-winter-estates-fort-myers
  • Frommer's: Edison and Ford Winter Estates: http://www.frommers.com/destinations/fortmyers/A24793.html
  • TripAdvisor: Edison-Ford Winter Estates: http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g34230-d145417-Reviews-Edison_Ford_Winter_Estates-Fort_Myers_Florida.html
Edison & Ford Winter Estates
2350 McGregor Blvd.
Fort Myers, Florida, 33901
United States
26.634652, -81.880564
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Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Fort Myers

Fort Myers

Florida

Places 2

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Punta Rassa Telegraph Station

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miles away

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Photo of Fort Myers

Fort Myers

Florida

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