Fort Myers in Lee County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)

Experimental Plots

Edison Botanic Research Corporation

— Edison and Ford Winter Estates —

Experimental Plots Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Brandon D Cross, July 30, 2025

1. Experimental Plots Marker

Inscription.

Experimental Plots. Edison Botanic Research Corporation. , Seeking a Suitable Climate for Growing American Rubber , During the earliest decades of the 20th century, natural rubber was an important commodity used in a variety of products and industrial applications, especially in the U.S., where 71% of the world's rubber was consumed. Rubber trees were grown and latex harvested in South Asia. Half a world away, inventor Thomas Edison, automotive industrialist Henry Ford, and "Tire King" Harvey Firestone were concerned about the availability and cost of the rubber supply to their respective businesses in the unpredictable world politics of the times. Together, they combined resources to form the Edison Botanic Research Corporation in 1927., In 1928, they built the laboratory in Fort Myers in an effort to find a domestic source of rubber that could be grown and cultivated on American soil. Edison's property was eventually transformed into several acres of experimental plots with many different types of rubber plants growing throughout., Rubber quality and quantity were examined repeatedly throughout the project, with over 17,000 specimens from dozens of countries being tested. Goldenrod, a plant often thought of as a weed, became Edison's plant of choice. , "One of the greatest needs of the United States today is an American-grown rubber... I am convinced it can be had and am going to do my bit to see it through." - Thomas Edison, 1927, (captions) , Above: An autographed photo of Ford, Edison and Firestone sharing a moment of laughter on the front steps of the Laboratory in 1929., Above: Firestone and Edison examine a rubber vine while walking around his Fort Myers estate, February 11, 1928., Fast Facts: , Edison judged potential rubber-producing plants by these five qualities: , 1. The plants had to grow extremely fast. , 2. It must be grown in a small amount of space. , 3. Crops must be harvested a few times per year. , 4. It had to tolerate frost. , 5. A good quantity of rubber could be extracted through an organic chemical process.

Seeking a Suitable Climate for Growing American Rubber
During the earliest decades of the 20th century, natural rubber was an important commodity used in a variety of products and industrial applications, especially in the U.S., where 71% of the world's rubber was consumed. Rubber trees were grown and latex harvested in South Asia. Half a world away, inventor Thomas Edison, automotive industrialist Henry Ford, and "Tire King" Harvey Firestone were concerned about the availability and cost of the rubber supply to their respective businesses in the unpredictable world politics of the times. Together, they combined resources to form the Edison Botanic Research Corporation in 1927.

In 1928, they built the laboratory in Fort Myers in an effort to find a domestic source of rubber that could be grown and cultivated on American soil. Edison's property was eventually transformed into several acres of experimental plots with many different types of rubber plants growing throughout.

Rubber quality and quantity were examined repeatedly throughout the project, with over 17,000 specimens from dozens of countries being tested. Goldenrod, a plant often thought of as a weed, became Edison's plant of choice.

"One of the greatest needs of the United States today is an American-grown rubber... I am convinced
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it can be had and am going to do my bit to see it through." - Thomas Edison, 1927

(captions)
Above: An autographed photo of Ford, Edison and Firestone sharing a moment of laughter on the front steps of the Laboratory in 1929.

Above: Firestone and Edison examine a rubber vine while walking around his Fort Myers estate, February 11, 1928.

Fast Facts:
Edison judged potential rubber-producing plants by these five qualities:
1. The plants had to grow extremely fast.
2. It must be grown in a small amount of space.
3. Crops must be harvested a few times per year.
4. It had to tolerate frost.
5. A good quantity of rubber could be extracted through an organic chemical process.

Erected by Edison and Ford Winter Estates.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Horticulture & Forestry • Industry & Commerce • Science & Medicine. A significant historical year for this entry is 1927.

Location. 26° 38.04′ N, 81° 52.755′ W. Marker is in Fort Myers, Florida, in Lee County. It can be reached from McGregor Boulevard (Florida Route 867) north of Llewellyn Drive, on the right when traveling north. Located on the grounds of the Edison and Ford Winter Estates on the laboratory

Photographed by Brandon D Cross, July 30, 2025

2. Experimental Plots Marker

side of the complex. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 2351 McGregor Blvd, Fort Myers FL 33901, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is on Florida’s Gulf Coast.

It is also in the American South

and on the Gulf Coast.

Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

a Gulf of Mexico state,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: The Lay of the Land (a few steps from this marker); Three Famous Friends And Their Quest For Rubber (within shouting distance of this marker); Artesian Well (within shouting distance of this marker); Edison’s Bayon Tree (within shouting distance of this marker); Thomas Edison, Chemist (within shouting distance of this marker); Edison Botanic Research Laboratory (within shouting distance of this marker); Meet Two of the Most Influential Men of the 20th Century (within shouting distance of this marker); Mina Miller Edison (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Fort Myers.

Also see . . .
1. Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, and the Search for Rubber in Florida and Savannah. (Submitted on August 10, 2025, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida.)
2. Origins | Edison Botanic Research Corporation & Lab Part I. (Submitted on August 10, 2025, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida.)
3. Edison and Ford Winter Estates. (Submitted on August 10, 2025, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida.)

Credits. This page was last revised on August 11, 2025. It was originally submitted on August 10, 2025, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida. This page has been viewed 97 times since then and 20 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on August 10, 2025, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.