Edison’s “Florida Paradise”

In early 1885, famous inventor and businessman Thomas Edison visited Fort Myers to find a warm retreat from the cold winters of his home base in West Orange, New Jersey. Traveling with friends from the cooler climate of Jacksonville, he reached Fort Myers and, with help from the real estate agency Huelsenkamp & Cranford, found a 14 acre property along the Caloosahatchee River in the countryside one mile south of the city. Though the grounds were mostly scrub and wild vegetation, the plants included Giant Green Bamboo, a natural fiber Edison was experimenting with as a filament for the incandescent light bulb. After buying the property from cattleman Samuel Summerlin for $2,750, Edison made plans in a notebook with a sketch of his ideal winter retreat, including homes, a laboratory, maintenance shop, and gardens for exotic and edible plants.

Fort Myers, Florida · United States