Mina Miller Edison

Mina Miller Edison. Mina Miller married Thomas Alva Edison in 1886. This was the same year that the two began to create their winter estate in Fort Myers., During their many years in Fort Myers, the Edison enjoyed creating areas for botanical research and family pleasure gardens as well as useful kitchen and truck gardens. In fact, Thomas Edison tested more than 17,000 plants for possible sources of rubber and also grew numerous fruits and vegetables such as citrus, mango and pineapples., This area of the Estate was dedicated as a kitchen garden or in Edison’s words, a “garden truck,” where staff could raise plants to use and to sell., Mina Edison was also very interested in plants and gardening. On the estate, she worked with landscape architects to create the beautiful Moonlight Garden as well as the porch gardens which surrounded the historic buildings., In the community, Mina Edison worked to improve Fort Myers through the creation of garden clubs and was an original member of the local Periwinkle Garden Club., The statue of Mina Edison in the Garden was created by sculptor Don Wilkins and generously contributed by Estates patron Orvall McCleary., Dedicated February 11, 2009.