Thomas Edison came to Florida in March 1885 to escape the cold winter in New Jersey. After an initial stay in St. Augustine, cold, wet weather led him farther south, and after reading about fishing and hunting expeditions in southwest Florida, he and his business partner and friend Ezra Gilliland traveled to Fort Myers. During his short stay, Edison fell in love with the area and bought a 13-acre property along the Caloosahatchee River with help from the real estate agency Huelsenkamp & Cranford. Although the land was mostly scrub grass and wild vegetation, it also included bamboo, a natural fiber Edison was experimenting with and using as a filament for an incandescent light bulb. He planned ornamental plants such as cabbage palms and flowers around the homes, used a large clump of native bamboo near the river as a focal point, and intended citrus groves between the homes and what is now McGregor Blvd., with poinciana trees along the road for privacy and shade. Edison's houses and the original Fort Myers laboratory were built in 1886, and in March of that year he spent his honeymoon there with his new bride, Mina Miller Edison. Mina strongly influenced the landscape and helped transform the property into a lush tropical garden for the family. After buying the land from cattleman Samuel Summerlin for $2,750, Edison drew a plan for an ideal winter retreat that included homes, a working laboratory, a maintenance shop, and gardens for exotic and edible plants. He arranged the estate on a grid system with symmetrical avenues and focal points balancing the two homes. Built with pre-milled materials shipped from Fairfield, Maine and assembled onsite, Seminole Lodge cost about $12,000 to build and furnish, and the family typically stayed there four to ten weeks each year.

Photo: Brandon D Cross

Fort Myers, Florida · USA