If this is Thursday it must be postcards, 556

 

 

 

 

 

Thomas Edison Winter Home, Fort Meyers, Florida

 

Pictured is the winter home of Thomas Edison.  The photograph is by Ken Raveill of Terrell Publishing Co., and distributed by Edison-Ford Winter Estates, Fort Meyers, FL 33901.  The number 113 appears at the lower left corner on the reverse.  A blurb at the upper left corner reads:  “Some of the first prefabricated homes in America.  Built in Maine in 1885 and shipped to Florida on 4 sailing schooners.”  This card was included in the batch shared by K & J.

 

Thomas Edison first visited Southwest Florida in 1885 where he purchased property to build a vacation home.  The home shown on the card was completed in 1886 and named “Seminole Lodge.”  It was a place of relaxation and a winter retreat used by Edison until the time of his death in 1931.  Edison’s good friend, Henry Ford, purchased neighboring property, called “The Mangoes” from Robert Smith in 1916.   The Ford home was a craftsman style bungalow built in 1911. 

 

In 1947 Edison’s widow, Mina, deeded the Edison property to the City of Fort Meyers in memory of her husband for the enjoyment of the public.  In 1988 the adjacent Ford property was purchased and open for public tours in 1990.  Together these two estates now form the Edison and Ford Winter Estates.  In addition to Edison’s house is his botanical garden with more than 1,000 varieties of plants from around the world.  The garden features plants grown for industrial use, like bamboo used in light bulbs; and beauty, including roses, orchids, and bromeliads.  There is a moonlight garden designed by Ellen Biddle Shipman.  Edison did most of his research and work with exotic trees and plants while in Fort Meyers, Florida.  The rubber laboratory created in 1928, and the Edison Ford Museum are open to the public and offer a variety of programs and tours.  The Ford Estate was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988 and the Edison Estate was added to the list in 1991.

 

Ellen Biddle Shipman (1869-1950) was an American landscape architect known for formal gardens.  Her gardens often appeared in magazines such as House Beautiful and House & Garde.  She was among one of the very few woman landscape architects of her time. 

 

Thanks to K & J for sharing the card.

 

For additional information, see:

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edison_and_Ford_Winter_Estates

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ellen_Biddle_Shipman