We’ve talked about in a recent article how a small group of big-time Americans at the turn of the 20th century, made a power road-trip across many places in the U.S. The group called the “Vagabonds” started one of the first road-trips in history that started in 1916. Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, Harvey Firestone and John Burroughs went on with the ride of their life in a newly released Model T, the first “people’s car”.
However, there was more to this excursion than the road-trip itself. In fact, we can say that this road-trip began and ended in the Edison Estates in Fort Myers, Florida. Today, this place is now known as the Edison and Ford Winter Estates. It is a fully functioning 20-acre museum that gives us a glimpse of the life of the roaring 20’s. The houses were restored from inside-out to look exactly the way they would have been in the 1920’s.
The place can be booked for guided tours where a resident historian takes you through the life and times of Thomas Edison and Henry Ford. There are several buildings to this property, one would be the main house where the Edisons lived, a guest house and a caretaker’s house, then there’s the Ford house nearby. There’s also a pool that Edison added and a garden that was beautifully made, until the Hurricane Irma damaged most of it. However, all of the structures, as well as all of the staff members of the museum are fine, it was only the garden that wasn’t spared.
Henry Ford purchased a home here in 1916 and became neighbors with Edison who was already living there for years. Ford, purchased his house so he can be closer to his friend and be able to plan on having more excursions with him. And so it happened, Ford and the rest of the Vagabonds drove from one state to the next, every year, cross country, that lasted until 1924.
What was more awesome was the fact that in this property, Edison, Ford and another Vagabond, Harvey Firestone, started what was to be the first industrial laboratory in history. The Edison Botanic Research Laboratory was the first of its kind. The idea came about when Firestone expressed his concern about the country’s dependence on export when it comes to rubber. The trio sought ways to generate rubber from local plants – which they successfully did.
However, if you ask us, we think the real reason why they settled in this property was because of Florida’s climate. The place is called winter estates for a reason. Edison came here to escape the cold winter of the states up north, something which many people nowadays still do, that’s why Florida is most busy with tourists during the winter months. Edison and Ford fell in love with this place.
To find out more about the natural beauty of Florida, especially southwest Florida, come and visit divinenaples.com we have all the important information you need in Naples, Florida and it surrounding area, plus, we have some tips to share about neat real-estate spots too.
