Seminole Lodge

Seminole Lodge. The Edison Family’s Winter Estate. , World-famous inventor and businessman Thomas Edison visited Florida in March 1885 in order to escape the cold winter in New Jersey., Initially staying in St. Augustine, the cold, wet weather encouraged Edison to go farther south. After reading about fishing and hunting expeditions in southwest Florida, Edison and his business partner and friend, Ezra Gilliland, traveled to the small town of Fort Myers. During his short stay here, he fell in love with the area and purchased property. Real estate agency Huelsenkamp and Cranford helped Edison find a 13-acre property along the Caloosahatchee River. Though the grounds were mostly scrub grass and wild vegetation, plants there also included bamboo, a natural fiber that Edison was both experimenting with and using as a filament for an incandescent light bulb. On this side of Edison's property, he proposed ornamental plants like cabbage palms and flowers around the homes. Perhaps in honor of his incandescent light, a large clump of native bamboo provided a focal point near the river. He initially planned to plant citrus groves in the corridor between the homes and what is now McGregor Blvd., as well as poinciana trees along the road for privacy and shade., Edison's houses and the original Fort Myers laboratory were built in 1886. Subsequently, he spent his honeymoon here with his new bride, Mina Miller Edison, in March of that same year. Mina had an enormous influence over the property's landscape and helped transform it into a lush tropical garden for her and the family to enjoy., (sidebar) , After purchasing the property from cattleman Samuel Summerlin for $2,750, Edison created this hand-drawn map that highlighted his plans for an ideal winter retreat. The illustration included not only homes but also a working laboratory, a maintenance shop, and gardens for exotic and edible plants. He set the estate on a grid system with symmetrical avenues and focal points, balancing the two homes., Madeleine Edison and friends enjoying the Main House porch., Edison's Seminole Lodge was built using pre-milled materials shipped from Fairfield, Maine and assembled onsite. He spent approximately $12,000 to build and furnish his Florida home., (captions) , The Guest House of Seminole Lodge as seen from the Caloosahatchee River, circa 1905., Thomas, Mina, and their son Theodore pose in front of the Main House. Typically, they stayed here 4-10 weeks a year.