Fort Myers Florida

Nowhere in the US will you find the homes of two such important historical figures sitting side by side. This site is much more than just a couple of preserved houses- its a slice of Old Florida, Americana, and Mr. Wizard all rolled into 20 riverside acres of gracious architecture, tropical gardens and reflecting pools.Edison’s tropical botanical garden is one of the most complete in America and contains more that one-thousand varieties of plants imported from all over the world, including a Banyan tree from Calcutta, India that is approximately 400 feet. The Banyan tree was a gift from Harvey Firestone in 1925. The chemical laboratory is one of the most absorbing features of the Edison Estate. Throughout the laboratory, where Edison conducted his last major experiments, all of his things are just as they were in his lifetime, including his "cat-nap" cot.An artifact museum, dedicated by Charles Edison, son of the inventor, was built to preserve and house memorabilia related to Thomas Edison’s life. Displays include over 1000-plus patented inventions- including the phonograph, the movie camera, and the lightbulb, as well as the 1907 prototype Model T Ford his friend and wintertime neighbor, Henry Ford, gave him.

Framed in forests of mangrove trees, the shell mounds and ridges of Mound Key rise more than 30 feet above the waters of Estero Bay. Prehistoric Native Americans are credited with creating this island's complex of mounds with an accumulation of seashells, fish bones, and pottery. Mound Key is believed to have been the ceremonial center of the Calusa Indians when the Spaniards first attempted to colonize Southwest Florida. In 1566, the Spanish governor of Florida established a settlement on the island with a fort and the first Jesuit mission in the Spanish New World. The settlement was abandoned three years later after violent clashes with the Indians. The only access to the island is by boat; there are no facilities. Interpretive displays can be found along a trail that spans the width of the island. Located in Estero Bay, several miles by boat from Koreshan State Historic Site or Lovers Key State Park.

The Calusa were once the most powerful people in all of South Florida. For many centuries they built huge shell mounds, engineered canals, and sustained tens of thousands of people from the fish and shellfish found in the rich estuaries west and south of Fort Myers. All that is left of their culture today is a dwindling number of shell mound sites dotting the estuarine landscape between Charlotte Harbor and the Ten Thousand Islands region of the Everglades.   An important center for the Calusa culture for more than 1,500 years, Pineland encompasses some 200 acres of shell mounds, remnants of an ancient canal system,, and old cracker shacks on the shores of Pine Island Sound, where the ancient Indians once collected shellfish for food and tools. From the 53 acre Randell Research Center, tour guides reveal what they have discovered about the tall warriors on weekly walking tours.