[Photography by Ray Stanyard, Archival Image Courtesy Florida State Archives.]

Edison and Ford—Illuminating the Florida Legacy

Since it opened to the public in 1948, millions have visited the historic winter home of Thomas Edison in Fort Myers. Millions more have toured since Henry Ford's neighboring home opened in 1990. For nearly 75 years the site has educated a public hungry to understand Edison, the icon of American technology, and enjoy the beauty of his tropical retreat. But like other significant historic sites, the Edison and Ford Winter Estates are challenged by the inherent conflict between public access and preservation. New management and an ambitious restoration program will ensure that both missions are accomplished for the visitors of the future.

In the winter of 1885, Thomas Edison, renowned inventor of the incandescent bulb and the phonograph, became enchanted with the isolation and remarkable tropical flora in the frontier town of Fort Myers. With business partner Ezra Gilliland he purchased a 13-acre tract of land along the Caloosahatchee River.

On the property, Edison planned twin winter homes to serve as a retreat as well as a base for scientific experimentation. The inventor's original drawings were converted to architectural plans by a Boston architect. Lumber for the structures was precut spruce shipped from Maine for assembly in Florida.

Edison also sketched a geometric landscape plan with broad allees of royal and coconut palms, mangoes and other exotic trees. Across what would later become McGregor Boulevard, he established botanical research gardens as well as tracts of vegetables, berry bushes and fruit trees to sustain the estates.

The property included an early cottage for a caretaker's quarters, a long pier extending far into the river, and an electrical laboratory which would be used as a base for generating electricity, research and invention.

Unlike contemporary south Florida structures, the Edison and Gilliland homes were wired with electricity. Elaborate light fixtures called electroliers were installed in Fort Myers, but remained dormant during Edison's 1886 honeymoon visit with his new wife Mina Miller Edison. The generator and lights were operable the following year. By March, Edison demonstrated the region's first electric light at his on-site laboratory.

The partnership between the inventor and Gilliland collapsed in an acrimonious dispute in late 1887. Due to the proximity of his own house to Gilliland's, Edison avoided Fort Myers for 12 years and considered disposing of the property. In 1892, Gilliland's home was sold to oil magnate Ambrose McGregor. In 1902, Edison acquired his former partner's property to supplement his own residence.

In 1900, Edison and his family returned to Fort Myers, launching a new era. For the next three decades, they would return annually, spending as little as a few weeks or as long as six months. Now known as Seminole Lodge, the property offered them retreat, recreation and a place for experimentation.

Mina Miller Edison administered the property. After 12 years of neglect, there was much to be repaired. The former Gilliland house was renovated. Duplicate functions were eliminated and a formal dining room and servants' quarters established. French doors replaced first floor windows and porches were widened. The two homes were repainted gray to replace the now unfashionable Victorian yellow. A decorative pergola unified the identical houses.

With new accommodations for guests, the Edisons entertained more frequently. In 1914, naturalist John Burroughs joined industrialist Henry Ford in a visit to Seminole Lodge. Edison, Ford and Burroughs camped together in the Everglades.

Ford was so impressed by the region that two years later he purchased the property neighboring Edison's estate. In years to come, the Edison and Ford family vacations coincided. While in Fort Myers, the two experimented together. Ford contributed intellectually and monetarily to Edison's botanical research, which by World War I sought an economical, natural source of domestic rubber.

To Learn More:

Visit the
Edison Ford Winter Estates in Fort Myers at
2350 McGregor Boulevard (take Exit 22 off I-75).

Call 239.334.7419
or visit www.edison-ford-estate.com