East Baton Rouge Parish Library

The Florida life of Thomas Edison, Michele Wehrwein Albion

eng

Includes bibliographical references (pages [227]-231) and index

individual biography

government publication of a state province territory dependency etc

illustrationsmaps

index present

non fiction

The Florida life of Thomas Edison

bibliography

214066375

Michele Wehrwein Albion

"This is both a portrait of Thomas Edison and a record of the vast changes to the region of Fort Myers, Fla., as it grew from a remote and unspoiled wilderness into a popular modern resort area with the attendant problems of overdevelopment and environmental damage. When Edison decided in 1885 to build a winter retreat and laboratory in Fort Myers, the region was regarded as a f̥rontier outpost.T̲he local paper proudly announced Edison's decision, and the town enjoyed an economic boom as construction progressed on the inventor's compound. Edison's new second wife, young Ohio-born Mina Miller, arrived in Fort Myers in 1886 and initially found the lack of running water and abundance of bugs m̲iserable. ̲But she grew to love the place and became a strong advocate for both the people and the environment. Albion, former curator of the Edison and Ford Winter Estates, writes with an eye for extraordinary as well as ordinary details, from the difficult task of lighting Fort Myers in the late 1880s to family expeditions up the Caloosahatchee River and into the Everglades. B&w illus., maps. (Oct. 5)" --Publishers Weekly Reviews

A Florida adventure -- The Edison and Gilliland estates rise -- Honeymoon in Florida -- Waiting for the light -- Waiting for the inventor -- The wizard returns -- Transformations and torments -- Roughing it with famous folks -- Neighbors, welcomed and not -- A mind in "cold storage" thaws -- Inventor at work and play -- Rubber research and road trips -- A president comes to call -- Honors and exhaustion -- The last hurrah -- A widow at Seminole lodge