It wasn't just the lightbulb that this man invented! He had had labs, machine shops and production plants that took up 4 city blocks in West Orange, NJ along with a 20,000 sq. ft. home on 14 acres in the first gated community of the U.S. We toured his labs and library that are still filled as he left them when he died in 1931. The artifacts aren't a collection, but rather his compilation and arrangement. He had 1093 patents in his lifetime and made such an impact on our present day lives.
Light bulbs, movie projectors and screen, talking dolls, natural rubber, toasters, irons, phonographs, concrete improvements, time clocks, ediphones were just some of his inventions. He had a three story library in his lab that housed books on every subject imaginable so that he and his associates (muckers) would have access to all kinds of subjects. His wife even moved a bed into the library because he would spend so many hours there. The main lab was three floors and full of everything you could imagine. Edison believed in having a little of everything in case it might be needed for his inventions. He even worked to create an area where he could mass produce the ideas that he had sketched on paper. On the third floor was a room that was used to do some of the first recordings for phonographs in his sound lab. Another building on the campus was the Black Maria - a house on a turn table that could be rotated to keep sunlight on the house set for movies rather than having to do filming at noon only. There was even a pulley rigged to a section of the roof so that it too could be raised to allow more lighting on the set.
When we toured the Glenmont, his private home, we found it too to be all original. Built in the late 1800's, Edison lived here the last 44 years of his life with his wife and children. He purchased this house for $125,000. It had originally been built for $350,000 by an accounting clerk. As it turned out the clerk had embezzled the money from the company he worked for and when caught was made to turn house and all the contents over. It was from this company that Edison bought his home at such a low cost - considering. He later sold it for $1 to his wife so that if any financial troubles came his way, his family would still have a home and it could not be seized. There are 4 floors, 23 bedrooms, 2 kitchens, greenhouse, 10 car garage with a turntable. The house, still with original contents, had beautiful painted stained glass, woodwork, and furnishings. The upper 2 floors were for the staff, and they also had their own dining room (with piano and phonograph). The Edisons and Henry Ford were close friends and there were times Mr. Ford would stay with them for a week at a time. They were neighbors in Detroit as children, had houses next to each other in Dearbourn, MI and later Edison purchased a house in Fort Meyers with Ford purchasing one there as well. Henry Ford gave the family several cars as gifts, including a Model A, Locomobile (which Edison converted from gas to electric) and a 1914 Detroit diesel electric car. In the Edison's collection of cars there was also a 1937 Brewster. (Note - Edison died in '31. The Brewster was given to Charles Edison.) The garage was built using Edison's forms and improved concrete from his concrete company. There were living quarters above the garage and a working turn table on the main floor so that a car could be pulled in and turned to park off to the side thereby allowing up to 10 cars to be housed in this garage. Finally we toured a greenhouse that was full of a variety of plants with rows of grapes growing just outside.
It was a fascinating day to say the least!! From there we have made it to Philadelphia and are staying southwest of the city in Chester. We plan to visit Philadelphia tomorrow, but have already taken in a few sights as well as eating a Philly cheese steak sandwich.
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