The Edison & Ford Winter Estates in Fort Myers highlight the friendship between two American visionaries and their families. It is said the garden gate between their two houses was never locked.
Coming here for a visit offers you much more than a peek at the lifestyle of rich and famous people from the past. Everywhere you turn, every path you take, demonstrates the fact that both the homes and gardens were ahead of its time in the 19th century, heck even ahead of our modern times.
The reason is both simple and stylish. Master inventor Thomas Edison worked with the environment instead of bulldozing to the lot lines and building one huge rectangular monstrosity, as is often the fashion today.
In 1865 Edison bought 13 ½ acres and built a laboratory and two houses. The complex became known as Seminole Lodge. Since then the property, located on both sides of McGregor Boulevard has expanded to 20 acres.
The first two houses built on the property were the Edison residence and a guesthouse next door, connected together by a walkway roofed with plants. The wood frame houses feature pitched roofs that shed rain easily and both houses face the Caloosahatchee River. Wide porches and tall windows bring in the river breezes.
In 1916 his friend industrialist Henry Ford bought the lot next door. Clara and Henry Ford named their home the Mangos for the profusion of mango trees growing nearby.
You do not actually go inside the houses (except on special events) but look through open doors into a typical setting – this is a family home, nothing is expensive here. Books are scattered everywhere along with semi comfortable chairs and terrible lighting (but better than those homes without electricity).
If you download the free Edison and Ford Winter Estates app there is a family tour and regular adult tour – all tours suggest you (carefully) cross McGregor Boulevard with the light and head straight ahead to the fountain as a start.
The Edison and Ford Winter Estates are located at 2350 McGregor Boulevard, Fort Myers, Florida. Open from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Both self guided tours (admission $25 for adults) and guided tours (about one hour, first come first served $30 for adults) See website for children prices. The guided tours fill up quickly. Armbands are issued so wander around and if necessary show your armband.
I found the app to be informative and fun. While I didn’t take every turn it suggested I did listen to stories – such as Edison getting a patent or two or three every year for 61 years (he had well over 1,000 patents when he died in 1931).
Was there something in the river air that made him so creative?
Was it his habit of fishing off the pier knowing no one would disturb him while fishing and meanwhile he knew he had no bait on the hook so he could sit quietly and think?
Or was it simply that the man was just plain brilliant and had “ah ha” moments almost every day? Just wondering . . .
Although I’ve been here many time this is my first visit where I realize how the shell paths all radiated out from the fountain. Obviously skilled hands at work, possibly a team of architects? No. There is a plaque on the path showing one very hastily drawn master plan on a plain sheet of paper – Edison did this using what looks like a thick graphic pencil. The drawing shows the river, the pier, a large grassy area left open in front of two houses, the fountain and a laboratory across the street.
Amazing – all laid out with one quick drawing.
Edison was consumed with discovering how to make rubber. The primary source was in Asia and America, especially in wartime, needed its own domestic supply. That never happened on a commercial level but there are enough ficus trees planted on the grounds to take over the world if not kept in check.
On the laboratory side of the street is a ficus that keeps on growing, sending down roots. A tall statue of Edison stands in its mist. Yes, the obligatory selfie happens here.
Edison, Henry Ford and Harvey Firestone all contributed various plants to this site – you don’t want to count them all so trust the website that says there are 1700 plants representing 400 species from six continents. Many of these plants became part of experiments at the Edison Botanical lab.
Which leads to the Garden Shoppe. Perhaps inspired by all that planting in the past, the Garden Shoppe, on the side of the street where you get your tickets and explore the lab and museum has expanded ten fold at least since my last visit. Oh my. Natives, trees, flowers, plenty of walk through paths with containers on stands, all for sale. There are horticulturists on hand to answer questions. Confession: I came home with two pots of Indian blanket flowers. Why are you not surprised?
Both this buffet of garden delights at the Garden Shoppe and the nearby parking for the Estates are free. There is a full calendar of garden talks, workshops and plant events. For example the talk about native plants on March 14 at 10 a.m. It includes walking through part of the gardens to see natives growing.
As with all outdoor activity, including walking around the estate grounds, wear comfortable shoes, a wide brimmed hat and sunscreen is advised. Bring water.
My personal favorite place on the winter estate grounds is Mina Edison’s Moonlight Garden. Designed in 1929 by landscape architect Ellen Biddle Shipman the garden has a reflecting pool, many bushes with white flowers that reflect moonlight and fragrant flowers that smell wonderful even in the middle of the day. What a magical place.
In 1947 Mina Edison donated Seminole Lodge to the City of Fort Myers in memory of her husband Thomas Alva Edison. The Edison Estate opened to the public in November 1947.
Ford’s winter home was sold to a private family in 1947. In 1988, The Mangoes was sold to the City of Fort Myers, and after two years of restoration, formally opened to the public in 1990.
Bless you Mina and the private family. Your gifts keep on giving inspiration to visitors. I know I’ll be back.
©2020 Lucy Tobias. Photographs by Lucy Beebe Tobias
UPCOMING
Saturday, March 21, 2020 – the Venice Book Fair from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. outdoors at Blalock Park in Venice, Florida, meet authors, buy books, get them signed. Stop by the ABC authors’ booths. Lucy Beebe Tobias will be there.