Henry Ford Honored at Edison and Ford Winter Estates

Henry Ford Honored on his 159th Birthday at Edison and Ford Winter Estates

FORT MYERS, Fla. (July 5, 2022) – Edison and Ford Winter Estates will honor Henry Ford, the automobile icon, on his 159th birthday this July 30. Historian-led guided tours and self-guided tours will be available throughout the day. Visitors can learn about the inventions of both Ford and Thomas Edison, how the two men became acquainted, and see many of their inventions in the 15,000-square-foot museum.

During tours, historians explain that Ford worked for Thomas Edison, they became research partners and eventually very good friends. Many other details are described, including how the two inventors first met at a convention in New York in 1896. At that meeting, Ford described his first automobile, the quadricycle, and Edison encouraged him to continue with his experiments. That encouragement catapulted Ford’s career and changed the direction of the automobile industry.

Ford introduced the Model A in 1903 and the Model T, one of the best-selling cars of all time, in 1908. On the site, visitors can see several antique Ford vehicles, including a 1923 Model T, a 1929 Model A, a 1917 Model TT, and a 1916 Model T, which was Edison’s personal car and a gift from Ford. Specialty Automotive tours are offered at 10:30 a.m. on Monday mornings.

Ford first visited Edison in Fort Myers in 1914. Two years later, he and his wife, Clara, purchased the Craftsman-style bungalow next door for $20,000. The home was nicknamed “The Mangoes” for the many mango trees on the property. Ford and Edison were among the first snowbirds and spent many winters together along the Caloosahatchee River. Their adjacent retreats provided a place for the friends to relax, discuss business and innovation, and entertain friends. The City of Fort Myers purchased the Ford estate in 1988 and opened it to the public in 1990.

The site is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. The Museum Store and Ford Cottage Shoppe offer many gift and souvenir items for history buffs and Ford automobile collectors, including model cars, books, T-shirts, mugs, decorations and more. For tour times and admission rates, visit EdisonFord.org.

Edison and Ford Winter Estates
Edison and Ford Winter Estates is the internationally known winter home site of Thomas Edison and Henry Ford. More than 220,000 visitors walk through the location each year from all around the globe. The organization has received many awards, including the National Stewardship Award from the National Trust for Historic Preservation and the National Garden Clubs’ Historic Preservation Award. The property is an official project of “Save America’s Treasures,” a Florida Historic Landmark and a National Register Historic Site. The Edison Botanic Laboratory is a National Historic Chemical Landmark. The site is open every day except Thanksgiving and Christmas from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and until 9 p.m. during the month of December for Holiday Nights.
We’re located at:
2350 McGregor Blvd.
Fort Myers, FL 33901

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