January 13, 2016
Wednesday
Miles Traveled 0
Total Miles Traveled 1905
Day 126
Today we visited the Thomas Edison and Henry Ford winter
estates, the two estates are next door to each other along the Caloosahatchee
River. After purchasing the land in
1885, Thomas Edison quickly made a pencil sketch of how he envisioned the
property and an architect turned his ideas into reality. Henry Ford purchased the home next to Edison in
1916, providing him the opportunity to vacation with his mentor and friend,
Thomas Edison.
The estate property also includes a museum and the Edison
Botanical Research Laboratory. Thomas
Edison, Henry Ford and Harvey Firestone were concerned about America’s dependence
on foreign sources for rubber for industrial use. As a result they formed the Edison Botanic
Research Corporation in 1927. Under Edison’s
leadership, the corporation sought a source of rubber that could be grown and
produced quickly in the US in the event of a shortage in the foreign
supply. After testing over 17,000 plant
samples, Edison eventually discovered a source in the plant Goldenrod. Many of the plants used for testing are planted throughout
the properties.
Edison’s home.
Ford’s home.
Fort Myers provides a free trolley for the downtown area;
we took the trolley to the Edison and Ford estates and on the way back stopped
at the Ford Garage restaurant. This was a very unique stop.
The napkin is a shop towel held together with a hose clamp.
Edison planted 1.5 miles of royal palms along McGregor
Boulevard in front of his winter home.
The Edison tradition continues and Fort Myers, known as the City of
Palms, maintains miles of royal palms along the Boulevard through downtown.
4 comments:
That was a very interesting read. I can only imagine what it was like to see it all! :-)
Thank's. It would make a good weekend get away for you guys.
Thank's. It would make a good weekend get away for you guys.
Cool stuff you have got and you keep update all of us.
Pommeaux de Douche
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