The winter estates of Edison and Ford are in Fort Myers, Fl. Ford worked for the Edison Company before starting the Ford Motor Company. Edison bought the land in the frontier town of Fort Myers in 1885 and in the next two years built two houses and a laboratory. In 1914 Edison invites Ford to visit his home and two years later Ford buys the adjacent property and home. In 1927 Edison, Ford and Firestone established a laboratory here to develop a quick growing, domestic source of natural rubber.
The properties front the Caloosahatchee River and are filled with many beautiful trees and plants.
Harvey Firestone and President Herbert Hoover were guests of Edison.
Edison main house on right and guest on left.
Illuminaire In Edison family room with early produced Incandescent bulbs.
Porch with river in background.
Ford home on left and Edison on far right.
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| Roots of Mysore Fig Tree |
Firestone gave a 4 foot banyan tree to Edison in 1925. This tree is now an acre in diameter and the largest in the continental US. The white milky sap of this tree can be used to create rubber. Edison and guest in foreground.
I like the history lesson. Was beginning to wonder what you were up to.
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