It was 5.9C (42.8F) when we got up. The forcast calls for a high of 60F, which is 20F below seasonal! At least it is sunny!
At 8:40 we were off to the Winter Estates with a picnic lunch. There is so much to say about this place!
http://www.edisonfordwinterestates.org/ Rather than bore you with a lot of reading, you can check it out for yourself.
We arrived at 8:55 and bought our tickets for the guided tour which would start at 10:00. The street is lined for 16 miles with "Royal Palms" that Edison had planted when he built there.
Edison's botanical garden contains more than a
thousand varieties of plants from around the world, including this Banyan tree given by Harvey Firestone in 1925. This tree – yes, it is
one tree – now has a circumference of 376 inches and is 84 feet high and is a
highlight of a visit. This one covers an acre. A Banyan tree (also known as a walking tree), is native to southern Asia. The long branches support themselves by producing aerial roots that slowly grow downward into the ground, forming pillar-like trunks. Fascinating!
While waiting, we visited the museum, which was very interesting. We learned things about Edison that we didn't have a clue about!
The guided tour was excellent with the docent very informative and full of anecdotes.
The present site dates from 1885, when Edison first
visited Florida and purchased the property to build a vacation home. His home,
completed in 1887 and dubbed "Seminole Lodge", served as a winter
retreat and place of relaxation until Edison's death in 1931. There is also a large guest house connected by a pergola.
The lumber for the two post-and-beam homes was pre-cut in Maine and transported by ship to Fort Myers where local labourers assembled them.
Edison’s good friend Henry Ford purchased the
adjoining property, "The Mangoes"in 1916, providing him the opportunity to vacation with Thomas Edison . Ford's craftsman style bungalow was built in 1911 by
Robert Smith of New York.
The good friends and their families enjoyed exploring southwest Florida, fishing, boating and square dancing during their trips ti Fort Myers.
We also toured The automobile exhibit, Ford Caretaker's Cottage (which is currently a gift shop), Edison's Little Office (where he could continue to work while on vacation), and Edison's Caretakers House.
The Edison Pier was the first structure to be built after Edison acquired the property. It was used to bring building materials to the property from barges anchored in the Caloosahatchee River. At one time, it extended about 1500 feet to deeper water. Outfitted with boathouses, benches and a summerhouse, it became a favourite place for fishing and visiting.
In 1910, Edison had a swimming pool constructed. It was the first residential swimming pool in the country. There were pools in hotels, but no private ones. We never did find out how deep it is, but I don't think I want to dive from the top diving board!
There are many very old, huge trees on the property. This one is called a Mysore Fig tree. You can just make out Marcel standing at its base.
It was such a fascinating day that I could go on, but I'll stop here. The day only warmed up to 16C (60.8F), but it was sunny!
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