Celebrate Henry Ford's 155th Birthday at Edison and Ford Winter Estates

July 3, 2018

Celebrate Henry Ford’s 155th Birthday at Edison & Ford Winter Estates

FORT MYERS, Fla. (July 3, 2018) – To honor Henry Ford, the automobile icon, the Edison & Ford Winter Estates will celebrate his 155th birthday on July 30. The day will start off with free birthday cake served at 10 a.m. Special behind-the-scenes tours of Ford’s winter estate home will be offered from 11 a.m. to noon, and history characters, Henry and Clara Ford, will be available for photo opportunities.

The Henry Ford winter estate home was nicknamed “The Mangoes” for the many mango trees on the property.

Henry Ford worked for Thomas Edison, they became research partners and eventually very good friends. The two inventors first met at a convention in New York in 1896. During 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. He introduced the Model A Ford in 1903 and the Model T, one of the best-selling cars of all time, in 1908.

Ford first visited Edison at his Fort Myers’ winter home in 1914 and two years later, he and his wife, Clara, purchased the home next door for $20,000. The Craftsman-style bungalow included about three acres of riverfront gardens and 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, entertain friends and of course, square dance — one of Ford’s favorite pastimes. Today, visitors can tour the botanic gardens, museum, laboratory and the winter homes of the two famous inventors.

The special behind-the-scenes tours are included with admission (on July 30 only). The site is open from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. seven days a week. For more information, call 239-334-7419 or visit www.edisonfordwinterestates.org.