The Edison and Ford Winter Estates: Home to Florida’s Most Famous Friendship
The Edison and Ford Winter Estates in Fort Myers, Florida, are as beautiful as they are historically significant.
The story of the Edison and Ford Winter Estates begins like an episode of House Hunters on HGTV: Scientist seeking warm, winter getaway. Unlimited budget. Must have laboratory.
Thomas Edison is the scientist in question, and he began his house hunt in Florida, first visiting Fort Myers in 1885. The inventor must have felt inspired by the place because he promptly bought 13 acres and constructed his homes there — yes, homes plural! — where he would escape the cold for the next six decades.1
Certified “car guy” Henry Ford followed Edison to Florida in 1914, staying as Edison’s guest at the Winter Estate. The sunshine that warmed his shoulders must’ve melted his heart, too, because Ford quickly purchased an adjacent house for his own winter home.
Today, the Edison and Ford Winter Estates have been carefully preserved, maintaining as many original furnishings as possible. It feels as if Edison could come back at any moment to work in his lab, or like Ford could walk into his garage and start up the old Model A.
Now the doors of these luxurious retreats are open to you, but before you step inside, let’s meet the hosts. . .
Thomas Edison
Thomas Edison and Henry Ford are both American icons of innovation and progress.
But of course, Thomas Edison is best known for his association with the lightbulb. While it’s commonly believed he invented incandescent light, several British chemists had already illuminated the field. However, Edison was the first to solve the problem of making lightbulbs economic and long-lasting.2 In this regard, Edison can still be considered the father of modern lighting.
Edison is also famous for his part in the “War of the Currents” against the ingenious Nikola Tesla. Edison had developed and patented direct current, or DC, to electrify the world, while Tesla had invented alternating current or AC.
Edison entered the debate slinging mud and spreading misinformation about AC in an effort to protect his own DC royalties. He even went so far as to advocate AC as the best electric current. . .for execution by electrocution. In spite of his slanderous remarks, Tesla’s AC, with its ability to change voltage with relative ease, won out in the end. (It wasn’t one of Edison’s brightest moments.)3
Nevertheless, Edison’s electric current still plays an important part in our world as DC is used in computers, LEDs, electric vehicles, and solar cells. (That’s right – DC is powering the screen you’re reading this on!)
Perhaps Edison’s most notable contribution was the phonograph, an invention that stemmed from Edison’s work to improve the telephone and telegraph.4
To have a machine record your voice and talk back to you was, well, unheard of at the time! The Scientific American excitedly reported in their 1877 issue: “Mr. Thomas A. Edison recently came into this office, placed a little machine on our desk, turned a crank, and the machine inquired as to our health, asked how we liked the phonograph, informed us that it was very well, and bid us a cordial good night.”5
The phonograph was Edison’s personal favorite, and he would continue to make improvements to this invention for the next 50 years, affectionately referring to it as his “baby.”6
Considering Edison’s deafness, it’s rather remarkable that he worked — and enjoyed working — so consistently in the field of sound; then again, perhaps the wish to hear is what inspired him.7
In his 84 years, Edison managed to amass 1,093 different patents, receiving at least one patent a year for 65 consecutive years.8 Indeed, wherever there is technology, there is likely to be the ghostly fingerprints of Edison’s tinkering, too.
To see the home that so inspired the mind of such a man is part of what makes a visit to the Edison and Ford Winter Estates so special. In fact, Edison had a very specific experiment going on at the Winter Estate. . .But don’t cross the threshold just yet!
You still need to meet Henry.
Henry Ford
Henry Ford is famous for founding the Ford Motor Company, which has been and continues to be, a successful manufacturer of automobiles since 1903.9
Like Edison, Ford’s legacy is sometimes misremembered, with folks believing he invented the car or even the assembly line. While Ford invented neither, he innovated and was the first to use a moving assembly line in the automotive industry. This cut down the time it took to make a Model T from over 12 hours to 1 hour and 33 minutes.10
Not only did Ford begin mass-producing “Tin Lizzies” in Detroit, Michigan, but he also raised the wage of his workers to $5.00 per 8-hour workday — a far cry from the day’s standard of $2.25 for 9 hours!11
Ford explained his philosophy: “We believe in making 25,000 men prosperous and contented rather than follow the plan of making a few slave drivers in our establishment multi-millionaires.”12
Despite the pay raise, “the assembly line was met with hatred and suspicion by many of his workers.”13 In addition to cutting the time of production, the moving assembly line also cut the number of workers needed to build the car and afforded the company more stringent control over the remaining workers.14
By 1918, Ford had a modicum of control over the United States as well, with the Model T accounting for half of all cars in the country.15
Though a controversial figure, this innovative businessman was a kindred spirit for Edison’s own inventive and entrepreneurial mind, with both men prioritizing the practicality and availability of budding technologies.
Together, they would work tirelessly on a project during their winter stays in sunny Florida. . .
A Foundation of Friendship & Florida Soil
Two icons, one (frankly adorable) friendship.
The foundation of Edison’s main winter house, named “Seminole Lodge,” was laid in 1885. However, the foundation of the Edison and Ford Winter Estates had its origin in 1896, when Henry Ford met his boyhood hero, Thomas Edison, for the first time.16
At the time of the conference meeting that threw them together, Ford had just built his quadricycle. This inevitably enthralled Edison. Ford must have been a bit overwhelmed, being peppered with so many questions about his new invention. But it was also incredibly inspiring to be told by his hero to “keep at it.”17
Edison saw great potential in Ford at their first meeting, but was he aware he had just found his lifelong friend?
They might not have known it then, but in time they began exchanging heart-warming birthday greetings, including one from Ford to Edison which ran, “sixty-eight thousand congratulations.”18
Between 1915 and 1924, Ford and Edison, along with tire-maker Harvey Firestone and essayist John Burroughs, went on a series of camping trips throughout the Eastern U.S. and nicknamed their squad “The Vagabonds.”19
Of course, when The Vagabonds weren’t roughing it, Edison and Ford were busy experimenting in style at Fort Myers.
And now that you’ve been initiated into the friend group, it’s about time you see what these BFFs are up to.
(To really see them in action, check out this fun archival footage!)
Tour Through A Time Gone By
At the Edison and Ford Winter Estates, turn-of-the-century technology is combined with breathtaking nature. It won’t take long to understand why Edison and Ford fell in love with this slice of Florida paradise.
Botanical Gardens and Botanic Research Corporation Laboratory
When you take your first steps onto the grounds, you’ll be greeted by the great banyan tree. With its one-acre diameter, it looks like a forest, but it really is just one tree! Nestled among its many “trunks” stands one of your hosts, Thomas Edison.20
Well, in statue form, anyway.
Although the banyan tree is roped off, you are allowed to approach the statue and snap a selfie with Edison using your DC-powered cellphone.
This banyan tree first arrived on the Edison and Ford Winter Estates measuring only four feet high and as part of Edison and Ford’s grand quest: to develop natural rubber in the United States. At 80 years old, this project which started in 1927, would be Edison’s last.21
The search for a rubber-producing plant was driven by Edison and Ford’s concern that the United States was relying too heavily on foreign rubber production. So, both men, and Firestone, each chipped in $25,000 to build the botanical gardens and laboratory.22
Today you can stroll through the gardens where there is a population of 1,700 plants made up of 400 different species. Vibrant reds, cheery yellows, and exotic fruits are all on display. With different plants blooming in different seasons, the gardens are worth visiting at different times of year!23
Once you’ve stopped to smell the roses, head over to the Edison Botanic Research Corporation Laboratory where these gorgeous plants were once test subjects. The lab is large and airy, though not air-conditioned, and contains seven work tables still cluttered with test tubes and flasks. The goal of the chemical research done here was to find the plant with the highest latex yield.
After testing 17,000 plant samples, Edison finally concluded that Goldenrod was the best plant to suit America’s rubber needs.24
Luckily, Seminole Lodge was the perfect place for the much-needed R&R after all those tests!
But before you head to the house, head over to the museum to check out more artifacts from both Edison’s life and Henry Ford’s.
Edison Ford Museum
Here at the Edison and Ford Winter Estates museum, you can learn even more about Edison, Ford, their inventions, and friendship.
As you walk into the museum, you’ll see there are so many cool pieces on display. It’s hard to pick what you want to look at first. However, a couple of items you’ll definitely want to look out for include a particular Model T and a special phonograph.
Remember those birthday greetings Edison and Ford liked to exchange? Well, in 1916, Edison’s birthday card came with a brand new, custom Model T — the same one you see before you. This sleek, black beauty is not only a spokescar for autos-gone-by, but it is also a testament to a lasting friendship.
Among the historic paraphernalia is a rather personal item, too: “a very early phonograph, marred at its base by teeth marks. Edison found that if he placed his teeth on the frame he could feel the music’s vibrations.”25
Once you’ve made your way through the museum, it’s time to cross the street to the Seminole Lodge where Thomas Edison will be happy for you to tour his home.
Edison Main House & Guest House
Edison’s wife, Mina, said, “This house is a dream . . . and we are living in Fairyland.”26
Edison had met Mina the same year he discovered Fort Myers — 1885 — and by early 1886 they were married. This was after a very fitting proposal in which Edison had “tapped the question” in Morse-code in the palm of Mina’s hand. (Mina was also mostly deaf.) After the wedding, the happy couple honeymooned in Florida, of course!27
Every room of their sweet Seminole Lodge glows with an abundance of soft, natural light and is tastefully decorated with light-colored furniture and comfortable-looking wicker chairs. The Main House includes Edison’s study, where his desk is still cluttered with test tubes. A phonograph is not far from the reach of the desk.
Edison’s library, the living room, and master bedroom are also open for viewing. The master bedroom, dressed in cream and accented with the softest shade of pink, is incredibly cozy. It’s the kind of room that’s perfect for curling up with a good book and a cup of tea!
The view from Edison’s back porch is indeed the view of a fairyland: past a row of towering palms, a crisp, green lawn stretches down to a line of shady trees. Through the rustling leaves, you can glimpse the glittering water of the Caloosahatchee River. The gentle lapping of the waves is nature’s lullaby.
From the Main House, you can walk through the breezeway to explore the Guest House where Edison kept not only his guests, but also his kitchen, dining room, and living quarters for the staff.
From the Guest House, it’s just a few steps to Henry Ford’s house, and he’s waiting for you to come on in!
The Ford Historic Home
Purchased in 1916, Ford named his two-story, riverfront house “The Mangoes.”
Before you get to the house, you have to stop in Ford’s garage, of course! The space is inhabited by four cars and a life-sized cut-out of the man himself, standing proudly amongst his autos.
Inside, Ford’s house is much like Edison’s in that the rooms are generally light and airy. However, Ford’s kitchen and staff-living quarters are all under one roof!
Although more closed off in its layout, Ford’s home still feels welcoming. His living room is darker than Edison’s, with a low, wood-beam ceiling, making it the perfect place to spend a rainy evening by a crackling fire in the rustic hearth!
No longer just one-dimensional characters from a textbook, these historic figures have become men you can imagine sitting on the back porch playing a round of Parcheesi (Edison’s favorite game). Once you’ve seen how they lived, the names “Thomas Edison” and “Henry Ford” will always hold a special connection for you.
That connection, combined with the natural beauty, makes it all the harder to say goodbye to the Edison and Ford Winter Estates when the tour is over.
Edison said his own farewell to both the estate and his friend when he passed away in 1931. Before his death, Edison had become wheelchair-bound, so Ford bought a wheelchair, too, just so they could race.28
When Edison died, eight test tubes stood in a rack by his beside. His love of chemistry, like the love he had for his friend, remained with him till the end. Edison’s son, Charles, sealed the test tubes, filled with the air containing Thomas’ last breath, and gave one to Henry.29
Today, like that test tube, the Edison and Ford Winter Estates are forever conjoined as a memorial to friendship, to science, and the “keep at it” spirit. . .
Cover Image
Photo: Picryl
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