Places to Visit:
National Park Service, Edison National Historic Site, West Orange, NJ
This site includes 20 structures dating from 1880–1887, including Edison’s Glenmont Home and his laboratory. His papers, photographs, and sound recordings are also located here. You can also visit the web site at www.nps.gov/edis/home.htm to see historic photographs, play games, and even try taking the Edison Mental Fitness Test that he gave to prospective employees.
The Henry Ford, Greenfield Village, Dearborn, MI
The Henry Ford, a museum and historic village, is the home of a replica of Edison’s Menlo Park laboratory as well as the Edison Homestead. The Web site at www.hfmgv.org/exhibits/edison/ has information and historic photographs of Edison and his work.
Thomas Edison Birthplace Museum, Milan, OH
Edison’s birthplace and early childhood home features family items, documents, and examples of his early inventions. www.tomedison.org/
Edison and Ford Winter Estates, Fort Myers, FL
Both Edison and Henry Ford owned winter states in Florida, next door to each other. These houses, as well as gardens, museum, and Edison’s lab, are all open for visitors. www.edisonfordwinterestates.org/
On the Web
Thomas Edison’s home page, with the inventor’s quotes, biography, a photo gallery, and a timeline of major events.
Edison left more than five million pages of documents that show some of his creative genius as well as his business tactics. These papers are available online through Rutgers University in New Jersey.
memory.loc.gov/ammem/edhtml/edbiohm.html
The Library of Congress’s American Memory Web Site has information about Edison’s life and inventions. Visitors can listen to a disc recording of Edison’s voice as well as watch some of the films he created.
This site takes you to the Fort Myers, FL, Edison Festival of Light Web site. The festival, which lasts three weeks, includes science and inventors fairs, a parade, and fireworks, all to commemorate Edison’s achievements.
Read More About Edison
Thomas Edison by Jan Adkins (New York: D K Publishing, 2009) contains amazing facts and biographical information about Edison, as well as many archival photographs.
10 Days: Thomas Edison by David Colbert (New York, NY: Simon & Schuster, 2008) looks at ten momentous days in the life and work of Thomas Edison, from the day he saved the life of a child to the day when the nation mourned his death.
Thomas Edison: The Man Who Lit Up the World by Martin Woodside (New York, NY: Sterling Publishing, 2007) not only tells the story of Edison’s life and inventions, but also includes many historic photographs and drawings.
Mission Science Biographies: Thomas Edison and the Developers of Electromagnetism by Elizabeth R. Cregan (Minneapolis, MN: Compass Point Books, 2009) tells the story of Edison’s experiments with electricity, motion pictures, and the incandescent light bulb.