Historic Sites 2004 - 2005: Edison & Ford Winter Estates

Organization: City of Fort Myers
Project: Edison & Ford Winter Estates
Location: Fort Myers, FL

Description:
Dating from the late 1800's, the Thomas Edison & Henry Ford Winter Estates is a Florida Historic Landmark and a National Register Site. It is the 8th most visited historic home site in America and combines the beautiful historic buildings, original rubber laboratory, lush botannical gardens and important research areas of two of America's most famous entrepeneurs and industrialists.

The winter home of Thomas A. Edison, beautifully poised along the Caloosahatchee River, is the greatest historic treasure in Southwest Florida. In 1885, Thomas Edison first visited Florida. He purchased property along the Caloosahatchee River and built his family vacation home. The lovely wood building, completed in 1886 and dubbed "Seminole lodge" by the Edisons, served as a winter retreat and work place for the prolific inventor until his death in 1931.

"Seminole Lodge," designed by Mr. Edison, was built in sections in Fairfield, Maine in 1885. The sections were then transported to Fort Myers by four sailing schooners and erected in 1886. In the spacious buildings, kept just as the Edisons left them, are reminders of the years the Edisons shared in this peaceful and serene tropical paradise. Circling the homes are large overhanging porches, which, combined with French doors on the first floor, provide a cool breeze through the home at all times. The electric chandeliers, "electroliers," were designed by Edison and hand made of brass in his personal workshop.

Edison's tropical research and botanical garden, one of the most complete in America, contains more than a thousand varieties of plants imported from all over the world, including African sausage trees and a Banyan tree, which was a gift from Harvey Firestone in 1925. Originally, this was an experimental garden. Edison was interested in the various products and byproducts of the plants, which he used in many of his scientific investigations. Later Mrs. Edison enhanced the garden with many beautiful plants, including roses, orchids and bromeliads.

The close friendship between Henry Ford and Thomas Edison brought Mr. and Mrs. Ford to Fort Myers in 1914 as guests in the Edison's home. In 1916, Mr. Ford purchased the house next door to his good friend; and for 15 years, the Fords came to their home in Fort Myers every winter to spend time with the Edisons. They shared their families, local friends and well-known guests, including Harvey Firestone and John Burroughs, the naturalist. The Ford home, "Mangoes," was purchased by the City of Fort Myers in 1988 and was opened for public tours in 1990.

As such the uniqueness of the Estates not only focuses on the history of this early Florida site but also provides insight into the personal lives of the two foremost inventors/industrialists, their wives, family and colleagues. Edison, Ford and Firestone and other American leaders spent much time together talking about business, philosophy, science, and personal affairs. The Estates are unique in that they provided the setting which the lives of these giants in American industry and technology came together, and the development of their friendship allowed the gestation of ideas that contributed to important advances in American business and technology.

"Restore America: A Salute to Preservation" is a million-dollar public affairs initiative by Home & Garden Television to generate support for the National Trust and Save America's Treasures. Inspired by the popular HGTV series Restore America, this national campaign to raise awareness of preservation will recognize restoration efforts at twelve National Trust/Save America's Treasures sites. Each site will be featured for one month on Restore America and will be saluted with one-minute celebrity vignettes broadcast on HGTV.