Fort Myers in Lee County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)
Edison Family Home Seminole Lodge
Photographed By Sandra Hughes, October 10, 2015
1. Edison Family Home Seminole Lodge Marker
By the fall of 1885 designs were completed and materials for construction and painting of the houses and laboratory were purchased. Furnishings, linens, books, and fishing gear were selected. All materials were sent down from northern cities by several steamships, unloaded and assembled on site.
On February 24, 1886, Thomas and Mina Miller were married. Soon after, the couple traveled down to stay at Seminole Lodge. The Florida paradise continued to draw Thomas, Mina, their children, extended family, friends, and business associates for the following 61 years.
“The house is a dream though and we are living in fairyland,” wrote Mina Edison to her mother, February 15, 1910. In Seminole Lodge the Edison family found a retreat from the cold of the northern winter, as well as from the busy work and social demands of New Jersey. However, Edison continued his research on various projects in Fort Myers.
Grateful to the local citizens, Mina deeded the property and the homes to the City of Fort Myers in 1947 for $1. Seminole Lodge has been open for the public to visit and enjoy since November 1947.
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Location. 26° 38.067′ N, 81° 52.804′ W. Marker is in Fort Myers, Florida, in Lee County. Marker can be reached from McGregor Boulevard (State Road 867) south of Larchmont Avenue, on the right when traveling south. The marker is inside the Edison Estate. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 2350 McGregor Blvd, Fort Myers FL 33901, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Edison Estate Restoration and Rebirth (here, next to this marker); Orchid Lane and Friendship Walk (here, next to this marker); Clara Ford’s Michigan Rose Garden (here, next to this marker); Edison’s “Florida Paradise” (here, next to this marker); Inside the Ford Home (here, next to this marker); Henry Ford (here, next to this marker); Henry Ford's Florida Estate (here, next to this marker); Edison Caretaker’s House (here, next to this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Fort Myers.
Also see . . . Edison & Ford Winter Estates. (Submitted on October 23, 2015.)
Photographed By Sandra Hughes, October 10, 2015
2. Mina and Thomas Edison in front of their home. (Circa 1920)
Photographed By Sandra Hughes, October 10, 2015
3. Edison Family Home Seminole Lodge Marker
Photographed By Sandra Hughes, October 10, 2015
4. The fully restored Seminole Lodge in 2007
Credits. This page was last revised on August 24, 2017. It was originally submitted on October 23, 2015, by Sandra Hughes Tidwell of Killen, Alabama, USA. This page has been viewed 657 times since then and 57 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on October 23, 2015, by Sandra Hughes Tidwell of Killen, Alabama, USA. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.
