A Bee Special Guest: Travel Writer Chris Gray Faust shares her journey to the Thomas Edison and Henry Ford Estates!

in Garden Focus by Britt — February 3, 2010 at 12:02 am | 4 comments

Chris is a travel writer and former Travel Editor of USA TODAY.  Her blog, Chris Around the World was named one of the top ten blogs to bookmark in 2010 by syndicated columnist, Travel Troubleshooter Christopher Elliott.  Today, Chris is our very first guest blogger and here is her story…

“I visited the Thomas Edison & Henry Ford Winter Estates in Ft. Myers, Florida, just before the Christmas holidays. I’ve been traveling for years to southwest Florida’s Gulf Coast, but had never made it out to this major regional tourist attraction before.

Thomas Edison in front of a massive banyan tree © Chris Gray Faust

The holder of more than 1,000 patents during his lifetime, Thomas Edison achieved fame at a young age. By age 30, he had already invented the phonograph and was soon known as the “Wizard of Menlo Park,” the town in New Jersey where his lab was located. When he became involved with the woman who would become his second wife in 1886, he felt like he could enjoy his success so he went looking for a place to escape Northeast winters.

Seminole Lodge, Thomas Edison's winter estate © Chris Gray Faust

Thomas Edison first visited Florida in 1885 and found property that he liked along the Caloosahatchee River. He called his home “Seminole Lodge” and used it as a winter retreat and lab (in his later years, Edison brought hundreds of plants to the estate as he searched for a domestic source for rubber) until his death in 1931.

Even back then, the rich and famous traveled in packs. Henry Ford started his career in one of Edison’s companies and continued his work on cars at the older man’s encouragement. The two became close friends and collaborators, and after a visit to Seminole Lodge, Ford bought the house next door.

Banyan Tree © Chris Gray Faust

When you arrive at the Estate, you see one of the more celebrated natural features of the Estate, a single banyan tree that looks more like a forest (the trunks are aerial roots of the same plant). A gift from Harvey Firestone, the tree was a sapling when Edison planted it in 1925.
Once you buy your ticket (for a tour of the houses and grounds, adults pay $20, kids pay $11; there’s also a special botanical tour on Thursdays and Saturdays that costs a little more), you enter a museum that has interesting biographical information on both men’s lives, as well as some of their early inventions. You can also pick up an audio guide here.
After scoping out the museum, you head across busy McGregor Road to visit the two homes. Seminole Lodge is made up of two Craftsman style homes (one is a guesthouse) that take advantage of the Florida climate, with a wraparound veranda to catch the breezes. The Estate also has a concrete pool, one of the first built in Florida.

The Mangoes, Ford's winter home © Chris Gray Faust

Ford’s house next door is known as “The Mangoes.” It’s also in Craftsman Bungalow style, about 3,000 square feet, with a garage that has some of Ford’s original cars. Ford famously loved to dance so the living room at The Mangoes have benches specifically created for guests to rest between songs.

Visitors to the Estate © Chris Gray Faust

The Estate has several plants that are worth noting. Edison was more interested in the practicality of plants rather than using them in design. A sheet provided by the Estate says there are about 50 types of palms, 13 varieties of citrus, and 12 species of bamboo on the estate. You can also buy “heritage plants” to bring home on the Estate.

Christmas decor at the Ford Estate © Chris Gray Faust

I was there around Christmas time, and the Estates do it up, with themed Xmas trees placed around the buildings. The palms are also decorated with white lights. It’s quite the spectacle so keep that in mind when planning your trip (the Estates have special hours at night then).

Edison's Lab © Chris Gray Faust

One of my favorite buildings was the lab where Edison tested plants for their rubber possibilities. Of all of the plants that he imported, he had the best success with the goldenrod plant (it never went past the experimental stage, however).  Overall, I thought that the Edison & Ford Winter Estate was well worth the visit. I had no idea how intertwined the two men were, and I walked away feeling like I had learned quite a bit. I would definitely recommend it to people traveling to the Ft. Myers area.”

For more information visit : http://www.efwefla.org

To read more of  Chris Gray Faust’s work visit Chris Around The World (www.caroundtheworld.com).

Well, this Bee will updating live from the Viginia Beach Convention Center  on Facebook this weekend!  So it you haven’t friended The Photo Garden Bee on FB yet.. look for it in the upper left of this site!  I’ll be covering the Mid-Atlantic Home and Flower Show as well as selling my Daily Flowers at booth #304.  I have about 250 more mats to put together for the flower photographs… It’s going to be a busy few days!

‘Til Tomorrow…

Britt : )

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Tags: Edison House Feature featured Henry Ford Museum