JPF Home Page Forums Creative Arts Forums Visual Arts and Photography Forum Thomas Edison's Banyan Tree

Edison bought property for a winter home along the Caloosahatchee river in Ft. Myers, Fl. in 1885. He had two prefabricated homes shipped down from New Hampshire (I think) and assembled. After his real estate partner moved out of one of the homes, he had them connected and lived in both houses. One house was used for cooking and dining (He hated the smell of food) and the other was used as a living quarters.

He planted a Banyan tree across the street of his 13? acre property next to his laboratory. The tree was a gift that was imported from India. The tree may well be over 100 years old. I think it's the second largest Banyan in the world. Not sure. It grows upside down. The roots rise from the ground and connect to the limbs.

These are pictures of the tree today and a photo of the home which is now open to the public for tours. The interior of the home was left with his original furniture and design before he died. Everything has been preserved since his death in 1931. I live about two miles from the estate and used to sneak in there when I was a kid. My brother was a grounds keeper there for 16 years. I always had free tours.

I didn't take the photos and apologize for the size. I'm not good at resizing.

Ben, What a beautiful home. And what a spooky tree. Thanks for the photos.

WOW! All that is one tree? I don't think I've ever actually seen a picture of one. How strangely beautiful. Thanks for the education.

Ricki

That is a fabulous tree.
I definitely have to see it sometime!

What a facsinating growth pattern.

Thanks for posting!
Linda

The tree covers about 3/4 of an acre.

This is great Ben, wish I could see it in real life..but this is great..thanks for putting it up for us...man, I like it...glyn

what a very cool looking tree. Thanks for sharing the pics with us.

Here's a smaller Banyan in front of the old courthouse building. I did take this one. Not much of a photographer. I didn't think about the light pole that was in the way.

I have been there, it is a must see/stop for anyone.
Yes it is the 2nd largest Banyan tree in the world.
I saw this 28 years ago and they had a board walk through the tree.Somewhere I have a photograph of it.
awesome
Thank you for sharing it here and reminding me of that memory.
Edison was incredable.

HiDee Bro Ben, & Thanks for the Great Pics of a Great Tree. I've visited Edison's Winter Home Museum...even tried to trade 'em out of an 1898 Fan Motor that was in their Collection..offering them the World's First Tape Recorder..to no avail, tho they'd have given it to me (Since it was a non-Edison Item) IF my potential Fan Museum was Non-Profit. (Can't be IF my sons are gonna inherit anything..alas!)

Anyways, I've got cuttings of it that've rooted..in my backyard.

Edison's tree was a gift from Harvey Firestone in 1925. Big as it is, it's a Pipsqueak compared to some of the others in the world, especially in India:

1) {& Guinness Book of Records winner:} "Thummammimna marimani" near Gooty, in Andhra Pradesh. 500 years old. Covers 5 Acres.
2) At Botanical Gardens in Kolkuta
3) Andyar Tree at Cherwai (Or -mai..my longhand's a bit hard to read this AM)
4) Big Banyan Tree at Bangalore.."3 Acres/500 years old"

Immediately after this listing at Google was the following, from Minister of Ag in Bangladesh:
"NO"..we've got a tree here that's "4.5 Acres and is 430-440 years old"...

And, there's also a Behemoth at Lahaina, Maui that's 200 years old and "1.5 Hectares"...which I got no idea how that translates to Acres, but sounds pretty big!

The Srimaha Bodhi Banyan tree, planted in 228 BC, is the "Oldest Living Human-Planted Tree" in the world. (Supposedly from a cutting off the tree that Buddha originally sat under.) (At 2238 years old..it, too, must be a Biggie..)

Sidebar: Oldest living tree: Bristlecone Pine..California.."Methuselah"..dated 4,838 years old. There WAS one, now called "Promethius"...that a Researcher broke his core-borer tool off in it/got Park Service permission to cut it down to retrieve it/& then discovered it was 5000 years old/Oldest Living non-clonal life-object on the Planet. (R.I.P., Promethius!)

Edison was an inventive Genius..but not the world's best Businessman, if ya study the Evolution of the Early-to-Mid Year GE Company History..& WHY "Edison General Electric" got shortened to "General Electric" ca 1930. (He didn't set-foot in a GE Plant for 30 years after that.) He was also VERY jealous of a Serbian-Croatian Hireling of his named Nikola Tesla..(Later to be known as the Father of AC Electrical System)..& Edison DESPISED AC..vs DC.

Tesla got hired by Geo. Westinghouse after quitting Edison's Employ. Today's AC Distribution System is ALL traceable back to Tesla's original patents..ditto most AC Induction Motors in use today.

Edison understood PR far-better than Tesla...& made a Big Bequest to the Smithsonian WITH the understanding that Very LITTLE of Tesla's would be included there.

Tesla died near-broke (since he'd forgiven Geo. Westinghouse about $5 Mil Owed him in Patent Royalties..during a "Crunch"..in thanks for his being-hired when he needed-it) feeding pigeons in NYC. (I'll add he'd quit Edison after not-receiving $15K-promised early in his hire for improving a Dynamo's performance 25%.)

I've always found "Roots" to be Interesting. (Sorry for the Overkill)..
Stan

Hey Stan, yes Edison had an ongoing feud with GE over AC/DC, but his Co. was Edison Electric, later called Consolidated Edison. Edison invented direct current and Tesla (GE) invented alternating current. Direct current was used in the first electric chair, which gave GE all the propaganda they needed to discredit direct current. GE won popular approval and AC is still being used today.

There are actually three estates on that area of Mcgregor Blvd. that were lived in by Edison, Henry Ford, and Harvey Firestone. Ford had a house next door to Edison, and Firestone lived in a rented house on the other side of Ford. Ford worked for Edison as a young man and became a lifelong friend.

His last experiment (working with Ford and Firestone) was to extract natural rubber from the goldenrod plant, which in essence is just a weed. Ford and Firestone needed it for tires. Edison died before they could mass produce it. Soon after, Dupont invented synthetic rubber, so the project was scrapped.

My brother was given a couple of souvenirs for working at the Edison home. He has an original hand blown light bulb (no it doesn't work), and an "Edison Gold Moulded Record". It's a vinyl cylinder dated 1902. The song is called "I Wonder Who's Kissing Her Now" by unknown artist.

There is also one of maybe seven original stradivarius violins at the museum, given to Edison by Tsar Nicolas.

It's a rather invasive tree. Kinda like bamboo and kudzu. Not sure I'd like having one of those at all. Interesting, to be sure.

HiDee Again, Neighbor-Bro Ben!

A few Mid-Course Corrections to the Edison Story.

He didn't invent DC. Battery-Powered DC was around lots-earlier than his Experimenting. One of TE's earlier jobs was in a Telegraphy Firm...where he was to keep up the Chemistry in the Batteries-Used. He experimented with The Formula-"Recommended" & ended up with an Explosion...& also Got Fired.

He DID believe in an Edison Dynamo for Every City Block/was "Ethically Opposed" to AC. So..(since ALL the early Pioneers for Indoors Electricity had to do)..when he hit the Chautauqua Circuit, he'd invite each city's Dogcatchers to bring in all their Excess Pooches for him to Electrocute. "26 Dogs at Once" was his "Record"...& on one Occasion, he AC'ed a Rogue Elephant into The Hereafter. (All to show "How DEADLY" AC Current WAS..& keep Geo. Westinghouse's Idea of an AC Generation Plant for Each City..at-bay.)

He described his Zap-'till-Dead AC Process as "Westinghousing" the Victims. He also suggested to Reporters who viewed his first electric chair that they call it "The Westinghouse".

AC and DC developed sorta Independently from each other in the ever-growing Cities at the Turn of the Century. DC powered all the VERY Popular Trolly Cars/Edison bought up a LOT of early Electric Co's to GET many-a-patent/made a Bundle because of it.

AC powered most ALL the Lighting...for carbon arc lighting..in most cities..before Tungsten Filaments bit-by-bit replaced them.

Politics determined what Appliances EACH City needed made-for-them...&..for instance, Turn of the Century Chicago had mostly DC Appliances inside The Loop where the Trolleys ran, and mostly AC outside The Loop. (& it varied What Voltage, as-well, City by City.) Further-Out, MOST farmers ended up with their OWN Power Plants...32-35 Volts DC was the most common..with a small Gasoline Motor running the Generator. (I own a '20-30's Era Westinghouse...100V DC..weighs a LOT..heh!)

Took 'til 1933's Rural Electrification Act to spell the Death Knell for DC Domestic Powering. That year the US went on a 110-115V 60 Cycles AC system, coast to coast..& farmers slowly shed all their DC Stuff. DC current barely flows over a MILE along a Power Line. AC...Transformer it UP...then DOWN..and you can go for MILES & Miles..as they do, today.

Edison Electric made its OWN Fans separate from Edison GE...most ALL are DC/Ran from a Box of Ceramic Jar Acid-Lead Batteries..4 known DC Fan Models..maybe a few more (A spring-hung-Phone-Booth Fan recently turned up)..AND he made ONE AC Model, too...(Quite RARE & Collectable...since..Ol' TAE never really much LIKED AC..heh~)

A Vignette to your Edison Cylinder: As sales of his Cylinder Record Players declined, & flat lacquer Records took-over, he then marketed "The Ediphone" as a Secretary's Best Friend, for taking Office Dictation. (Back to Wax, again!) These sold into the 1930's..maybe even the 1940's. (With nice li'l AC Motors inside 'em~)

Best Wishes & 'Nother Big Guy-Hug,
Stan

Tricia, it would take a hundred years to be invasive. Nothing like Kudzu vine.

Stan, you obviously know more than me about AC/DC, so I yield without argument.

Ben,

Love the pics! Thanks for sharing, I remember you talking about it in the shout box!!

Tammy

That banyan could fill a canyon!

Really interesting looking and unusual. Thanks for sharing. I certainly never heard of that one! Also like the mini history lesson, Ben you oughta be a tour guide.

Best of banyans,
Lynn

Wow , Amazing Tree

Thanks for the pics, lovely.

Miz. Petra

Thanks Lynn, I used to play under it when I was a kid. The estate is so popular as a tourist attraction that I would be arrested if I tried to play under it now.

Been there several times. Whoever took these captured it nicely, Ben - it is a difficult subject to photograph. Of course, it's a very cool tree.

Scott

I found an old photo of my father and me standing on a walkway in the Edison Banyon tree. This shot is 25 years old.

Thanks Stoney, I believe that they've since removed the boardwalk through the tree. You were lucky to get up close.

Thanks for sharing! That's a really cool tree. I've heard of them but have never seen one before.