H eadlines
Edison-Ford Winter Estates
T RAV EL
JEFF AND VIRGINIA ORENSTEIN |
JE FEATURE
Note: We recommend that
travelers follow Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention
guidelines on COVID-19, and
check with each mode of trans-
portation and specific venue
of interest for current infor-
mation before traveling. Check
edisonfordwinterestates.org/ coronavirus-health-precau-
tions-at-edison-ford-what-you- should-know/.

INVENTOR THOMAS ALVA
Edison and entrepreneur
Henry Ford were not only
friends but winter neighbors.

During the harsh winter
months in the northern United
States, they both escaped the
cold by wintering in Fort
Myers, Florida, in adjacent
homes. Their families social-
ized extensively during their
winter stays and what came
to be known as the Edison-
Ford Winter Estate became a
magnet for other captains of
industry visiting Florida. It is
now open to the public.

Edison bought his property
along the Caloosahatchee River
in 1885 and built a home the next
year. Ford bought the property
next door in 1916, which
included a 1911 Craftsman-
styled bungalow. Edison died in
1931; the estate was donated to
the city of Fort Myers in 1947,
then opened to the public. The
adjacent Ford property was
bought and opened to the public
in 1990 as part of the complex
available for tours.

In the 21st century, the
property was transferred to
a nonprofit corporation and
extensively restored. The entire
facility is governed by a board
of trustees and has both a
professional staff and a large
volunteer cadre. It is a National
Registered Historic Site, a
Florida Historic Landmark and
has received numerous awards.

Today, admission to the
20-acre grounds includes access
to the combined estate Edison
and Ford residences, workshops
and buildings, Edison’s extensive
botanical garden, a small display
of early Ford automobiles, a
museum, and a gift and plant
shop. The residences and other
buildings contain appropriate
furnishings, mostly original.

Tours and
interpre- tive programs are available.

Visitors can download a free
Entrepreneur Henry Ford is memorialized with
this life-sized statue on the grounds of the Edison-
Ford Winter Estate.

Photos by Jeff Orenstein
10 JANUARY 27, 2022
smartphone app for self-guided
tours. Garden tours are avail-
able by appointment. There is
free parking on-site, and the
shops can be visited without an
admission ticket.

Educational programs,
school tours and summer
camps are offered, and special
events are held throughout
the year. The grounds are
also available for weddings
and corporate functions. The
archives and research library
are available by appointment.

Before You Go:
• edisonfordwinterestates.org
• visitfortmyers.com
• visitfortmyersbeach.co
Getting There:
• By car, the estate is near
downtown Fort Myers and
can be reached from the
Route 82 exit of Interstate 75
and via U.S. 41.

• By air, the nearest commercial
airport is Southwest Florida
International (RSW) 17 miles
away. Punta Gorda Airport
(PGD) is 24 miles distant,
and Sarasota-Bradenton
International (SRQ) is 80.6
miles distant.

• By train, Amtrak serves
Tampa, the nearest station
Mina Miller Edison, the inventor’s second wife,
was an avid gardener. Her statue sits amid the
beautiful plants of the estate’s botanical garden,
adjacent to the plant shop where beautiful
specimen plants are for sale.

at 125 miles away.

Ginny O’s Tips for
• The nearest cruise port is Dressing the Simply
Tampa, 113 miles to the Smart Travel Way:
north. Miami cruises are
Wear comfortable shoes
158 miles to the southeast.

and casual clothing. There is
no beach or water access, so
Must-Sees and Dos for beachwear is not appropriate.

a Short Trip:
• Explore the Edison-Ford
Winter Estate and museum.

Tickets are available at
edisonfordwinterestates. org/visit/tickets-tours/. Plan
on at least half a day for a
visit. • Explore downtown Fort
Myers and vicinity.

• Eat at a waterfront restau-
rant in Fort Myers.

If You Have Several
Days: This Destination at a
Glance O ver 50 Adva ntage:
Nostalgic architecture, leisurely
walking, automotive history
viewed in an idyllic semi-trop-
ical setting.

Mobility Level: Low and
accessible except for a few
buildings that have stairs
leading to them.

When To Go: Year-round.

As for most of Florida, May
through September are hot and
sticky but a bit less crowded.

Winters are superb, especially
November through March.

January can have some cool
days. Where to Stay: Fort Myers
abounds with hotel choices at
many price ranges.

Special Travel Interests:
History, botany. l
• Take the Florida Seminole
Gulf Dinner/Mystery Train
4.2 miles away.

• Spend a day or two exploring
the arts scene in Sarasota 76
miles north.

• Take a day trip to Naples
35.6 miles south.

• Explore Everglades National
Park 77.7 miles away.

• Sanibel
and Captiva
Islands just offshore offer
great beaches, great shell Jeffrey and Virginia Orenstein
collecting and restaurants are travel writers from Sarasota,
galore 22.5 miles away.

Florida. One of the bedrooms at the Edison residence. Most of the furnishings here
and throughout the buildings are original.

JEWISH EXPONENT
JEWISHEXPONENT.COM



H EADLINES
Catherine Regehr
Trunk Show
Daytime to Evening
Cocktail, Gowns & Evening Separates
Thursday to Saturday
February 10-12
The garage workshop on the estate grounds has vintage Ford vehicles
on display.

Jewish Fort Myers
AS WE TOURED the Edison-Ford Winter Estate, we were
mindful of Henry Ford’s reputation as an antisemite. Aft er
the tour, we did some research and found a 2002 Chicago
Tribune article (“A Revealing Look at Henry Ford and
Anti-Semitism”) by Ron Grossman that detailed some of the
inventor’s anti-Jewish views.

Grossman wrote: “Ford, the father of the modern
assembly line, was convinced that the Jews were the source
of whatever ailed America. He wasn’t alone in the thought.

Among his peers, the great business tycoons of the early 20th
Century, anti-Semitism was common table talk … berating
the Jews was a frequent practice … Edison, who was in a
close friendship with the antisemitic industrialist Henry
Ford, nevertheless resisted falling into anti-Jewish stereo-
typing in most instances, although he was not impervious to
the widespread exaggerations about Jewish economic power
in Europe and was not above indulging in antisemitism in
some of his early fi lms.”
Interestingly, the political and religious views of the
former residents of the estate are neither mentioned nor
denied in the self-guided tour app or the historical site’s
website. While antisemitism can be found in Florida, as well as
elsewhere, the anti-Jewish infl uence of Ford and friends has
not had a signifi cant impact on the contemporary region
surrounding the estate.

Today the three-county region that includes Fort Myers
has a signifi cant Jewish population. Th e 2019 “American
Jewish Year Book” estimated the year-round Jewish popula-
tion of Lee, Charlotte and Collier counties at approximately
12,000 individuals, with a few thousand more Jews likely as
part-time residents. Th ere are 15 Jewish congregations in
the area, at least two Jewish humanistic groups and a full
variety of Jewish social, cultural and educational organi-
zations, including the Jewish Federation of Lee County in
Fort Myers.

Th e region did not have a signifi cant organized Jewish
community until the mid-20th century. Jewish World War
II trainees were introduced to the region by several bases in
the area, and the Jewish presence in southwest Florida has
increased with continued growth and the infl ux of retirees
from the northern United States. ●
— Jeff rey and Virginia Orenstein
JEWISHEXPONENT.COM 11-5 pm
19th & Sansom Streets 215-567-4662
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12/15/21 9:03 AM
We Provide
Peace of Mind! Visit!
Come Your loved one can remain living at
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staying in the place they know as home.

For additional information and to schedule
your in-person or virtual tour, please go to
www.TheHearthAtDrexel.org/Visit or
call 1-877-205-9428.

238 Belmont Ave. | Bala Cynwyd, PA 19004
JEWISH EXPONENT
www.TheHearthAtDrexel.org JANUARY 27, 2022
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