Walk of Fame 2

Sometimes I forget just how few people lived in Florida at the beginning of the last century. It was really a vast land with a small population and the few hardy souls who lived here must have rubbed elbows with each other. So there are many interesting instances of well known Floridians crossing paths with other well-known Floridians. For instance, Zora Neale Hurston stayed in the St. Augustine hotel owned by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings and spent time in the Ft. Pierce studio of Beanie Backus, who shared painting tips with entrepreneurial African Americans who later became known as the Highwaymen. So I shouldn't be surprised that Thomas Edison bought his property from Sam Summerlin, son of one of Orlando's original pioneers or that Edison knew Hamilton Holt, president of Winter Park's Rollins College.

Holt was the gentleman who created the Walk of Fame at Rollins College in 1929. And apparently he didn't stop there. He gave Thomas Edison a stone with his name carved on it and Edison started his own "Walk of Fame" at his Winter Estate in Ft. Myers. The Ft. Myers version is not nearly as large and complete as the Winter Park version, and on the rainy day I was there, I couldn't find many outstanding stones. It was reported that the stone from Henry Ford's homestead was left uncarved, because Ford said he was "just a simple country boy."

Perhaps, Edison, Holt and Ford found themselves to be kindred spirits in the early days of the 20th century. Consider these quotes by Holt, Edison and Ford extolling the virtues of hard work:

"Nothing worthwhile comes easily. Half effort does not produce half results, it produces no results. Work, continuous work and hard work, is the only way to accomplish results that last."
– Hamilton Holt

"Genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration."
– Thomas Edison

"Opportunity will not overlook you because you are wearing overalls."
– Henry Ford

Edison's Gardens

Just across the street from Thomas Edison's lab and the adjacent museum lie the Winter Estates of both Thomas Edison and Henry Ford. Edison bought the land for his home on the Caloosahatchee River from Sam Summerlin, the son of Orlando's "Cattle King", Jacob Summerlin. The Summerlins drove cattle all the way from the Caloosahatchee in Southwest Florida to just south of thte Georgia line, a trip of forty days. The elder Summerlin supplied much of the confederacy with beef during the Civil War and donated the land to Orange County for the courthouse, now the History Center.

Edison kept the Summerlin house in Ft. Myers and added on to it, and it ultimately became his Caretaker's House. Eidson's main house was built to the south (called Seminole Lodge) and beyond that was the home ultimately owned by Henry Ford (called The Mangoes.)

The houses were wonderful, but even on a damp rainy day Edsion's tropical gardens were glorious. Originally began as an experimental garden, Edison brought in exotics from all over the world. Bamboo first attracted him to the site; it was instrumental in the development of the lightbulb as he experimented with bamboo filaments. The tropical plants were supplemented with roses, orchids and bromeliads of Mrs. Edison. Today the garden boasts over 320 varieties of plants including 5 champion trees, the amazing Banyan originally given to Edison by Harvey Firestone plus 13 other ficus varieties, palm trees from 6 of the 7 continents, and mature tropical fruit trees. The garden is balanced so that there is something blooming every month.

Edison Museum and Laboratory

Fourth grade was the year I really fell in love with reading. My favorite thing to read was biographies. In my head I can still see the biography section of J.J. Finley Elementary School's Library. And the subject of my favorite biography was Thomas Edison.

So when we visited Thomas Edison's Winter Home in Ft. Myers on a family vacation, it was the first time I remember visiting someplace I had read about in a book (that wasn't for school). It was fascinating to me and perhaps helped to make me the history nut I am today.

So it was a thrill to visit the Edison museum again and see how my perceptions have changed as an adult. My favorite memories from my childhood visit were the huge Banyon tree out front, loads of colorful old phonographs, his stuffy little lab and the above ground swimming pool he built at his house.


Today it is a very well run attraction, and a perfect place to go on a rainy spring day. The Banyon tree, once the largest in United States, was trimmed down for liability reasons, making it second largest. The huge tree still takes up over an acre. The museum has loads of interesting artifacts and wonderful vintage graphics. In addition to owning over a thousand patents, and inventing hundreds of items that became mainstays of modern life, Edison became a brand with his name on everything from batteries to cement and from movies to baby furniture.





There was a wonderful photography exhibit from the Smithsonian and an informative documentary from the History Channel. Volunteers led discussions through the lab and about Edison's home across the street (more on this in a future blog.) The original lab was moved to Greenfield Village in Michigan, this lab replaced it and was used for botanical research, mostly to try to find an inexpensive substitute for latex to make rubber. They settled on the Goldenrod plant as a source of the latex, and for a time actually used it to manufacture products like hot water bottles.



The lab is dark and dusty and I don't believe it was air conditioned. It looks as if it was never cleaned, but left exactly the way it was used when Edison worked there. You can see the cot he used to take naps on and his old fashioned phone. And he obviously had a sweet tooth as there is a giant Baby Ruth box stuck in a closet. For me it was intriguing to share the same space where one of the world's greatest inventor labored. Perhaps I was hoping some of his creative energy would rub off on me. Here is a great quote from Edison that seems to be extremely relevant today:

"Be courageous! Whatever setbacks America has encountered, it has always emerged as a stronger and more prosperous nation.... Be brave as your fathers before you. Have faith and go forward"
–Thomas Alva Edison"

The Fate of Ft. Myers

I’d visited this Southwest Florida town twice before, once when I was a kid on family vacation and later to visit a friend's uncle. I enjoyed both previous visits, but never really explored Ft. Myers itself. So I picked a place to stay that would give me the best opportunity to do some serious exploring.

Rock Lake Resort was built by James Moore in 1946-47. I was attracted to stay on this property because each room faces a unique circular lake. Mr. Moore quarried the rocks on the site, creating the round water feature and made the cabins out of the rocks. One thing about Florida, there aren’t many rocks here, and to find entire buildings made of native stones is quite a score.


In front of each cabin is a cement dolphin with a water spouting from the marine mammal’s blowhole. We counted 22 circling the lake. Delightfully kitschy, Rock Lake Resort backs up to a wilderness area and Billy’s Creek, named after Seminole War leader Billy Bowlegs who fought earlier settlers down in this area before being shipped of to Oklahoma with other members of his tribe.


Rock Lake Resort is just a half mile from Ft. Myers' downtown and from what I remembered from my last visit, the downtown appears to have had a renaissance. There are some real architectural gems, some preserved, some in need of restoration. We saw many new restaurants and bars, and some that appear to have been pretty prosperous before the current wave of economic disfunction hit. The biggest symbol of the current fiscal crisis was right across the street from the Rock Lake Resort.

The Oasis is a brand-new 2 tower condo on the Caloosahatchee River. It dominates the little rock lake; each tower appears to by at least 30 stories tall. Yet we counted furniture on only about 5 balconies. And there were several other empty condo complexes up and down the main road paralleling the river. Some appeared to be brand new, others were mid-century motels that went condo and did not make it.


Another memorable feature of Ft. Myers are rows of towering Royal Palms flanking each side of the main drag, McGregor. The first half mile was planted by the Edisons (more on Edison in a later blog). Today, there is 14 miles of palm-lined road and Ft. Myers is known as the City of Palms. The Royal Palm, Florida's official state tree, is tall and magnificent and it is a pity they don’t have them further north up the peninsula! They also seem to have about every other kind of palm here, as well as the always interesting Banyon tree from India.

Nature, history and architecture, three of my favorite things, come together in downtown Ft. Myers. I really enjoyed my time in Ft. Myers and despite the current condo situation, I hope it can continue to build on its sturdy, rock-like foundation.

Tacky or Kitschy?

I really wanted to visit the Shell Factory in North Fort Myers to see the massive sign fronting the Tamiami Trail, a giant, golden wishbone-shaped frame with huge lettering and a monumental shell dangling beneath. But I also wanted to see how an attraction that just sold shells thrived in today's tourism world, being far from the interstate and miles away from large population centers.

Shell World's answer, besides having all sorts of gaudy and garrish shells in every configuration imaginable, is to have a little bit of everything. Bumper boats, a kids play area, fish ponds, a flea market, a fast food restaurant, a seafood restaurant, putt putt golf, a nature park and petting zoo, an arcade, stuffed wildlife and a waltzing waters display every evening. Basically they've turned into a low budget theme park.

Their sign is absolutely massive and the shell hanging beneath it is large but not long for this earth, being made of paper maché and looking very flimsy. We parked near the sign and walked between the fish ponds, past the bar and seafood restaurant and through another parking lot to get to the main shell shopping area. The entrance is shelltacular with a great display of rare shells and dolphins, pirates and John Wayne guarding the bright aqua entryway. Soon you are in shell heaven or shell hell, depending on your point of view, and there is almost everything made out of shells. My wife's favorite were the little shell bouquets with tiny rubber pigs.




I was fascinated by the stuffed game collection, as I find these dead animals incredibly sad and haunting. The juxtapostion of these majestic creatures in this bizarre environment was incredibly macabre. It is not for the faint-of-heart animal lover for sure. They were spread out everywhere, on top of AC ducts, suspended from the ceiling; all sorts of species including an elephant, tigers, lions, a giraffe and a hippo. Truly one of the most weirdest displays I've ever seen.


Around the corner and there's a year round Christmas wonderland, including a photo-op with a life-sized Santa. Turn another corner and you're in a the standard tourist gift shop sellling towels, bathing suits and flip flops, only with a Subway restaurant and full service post office. Around another bend are large dinosaurs, 6 ft. shark's jaws, skeletons, etc.

I had intended to purchase a souvenir, Florida sunshine in a can, but grew impatient as the patrons ahead of me had to have numerous shell purchases individually wrapped in newspaper. I left without spending a penny, my quota for Florida wackiness temporarily maxed out. I asked my wife what the difference between tacky and kitschy was as we drove away. Her response was "kitschy is funny and makes you feel good about humanity; tacky is sad and makes you feel bad about humanity." The Shell Factory is the perfect place to test your capacity for this side of Florida.