In 2021, instead of cruising, we decided our “Vitamin D” vacation would be to Fort Myers Beach. I am not one to sit all my time away soaking in the sun; I love to learn and explore new places I have never been before. While there, we spent a day around Fort Myers, touring the Edison & Ford Winter Houses. It was so fascinating and beautiful!
Thomas Edison started wintering in the Florida area for his health in the late 1880s by his doctor's recommendation. Thomas Edison and his family lived in the main house pictured above, built in 1886, which was restored after his wife, Mina Edison, deeded the property to the City of Fort Myers in the 1940s. Later on the adjoining property, owned by Edison’s good friend, Henry Ford also was purchased by the city in the 1980s. The properties went through extensive renovations in the early 2000s.
Mina Edison had a vast interest in botanicals during her time on the property. An extensive, beautiful botanical garden holds thousands of varieties of plants from around the world, including African Sausage Trees! She also planted roses, azaleas, many kinds of orchids, and bromeliads.
One of my most favorite was the blooming rhododendron shrubs. They were so gorgeous and gigantic! One other area of the botanical gardens that was very magical was the moonlight gardens pictured below.
One area that was instrumental in the botanical gardens was renewable resources: bamboo and rubber plants.
Edison is known for many inventions, but what surprised me is he experimented with rubber. At the end of WWI, he was concerned with America’s reliance on foreign supplies, so he started thinking “outside the box” to come up with solutions alongside his friends, Henry Ford and Harvey Firestone. His estate in Florida was the facility for his rubber experimentations.
There are so many beautiful rooms inside the Edison & Ford Estates. Some of the more renowned guests that have stayed were Harvey Firestone, Henry Ford, and President-elect Herbert Hoover.
You can easily see the different styles of Edison & Ford Estate Houses. While you are not allowed to wander through the rooms, they are open to doorways with large enough views to see expansively across.
One of my favorite features was the outdoor pool on the Edison Estate. Thomas Edison used his ingenuity once again. He was the first person to have a residential pool in Southwest Florida. It might have been the very first pool in all of Florida! It was a “single pour” construction. It’s over 100 years old and still works today!
It is believed an on-site artesian well initially supplied the water source. Later, it could have been supplied by a cistern with an overflow pump that shunted excess water into the surrounding landscape and the Caloosahatchee River. My husband, a civil engineer, said this is Civil Engineering at its finest.
If you’re planning a trip to the Sunshine State, I highly recommend the Edison & Ford Estates as a destination to visit. They are beautiful education, and you could spend at least a half day wandering the acres for fun. It is well worth a visit!
