Mina Edison would often sit on the porch of Seminole Lodge to observe ibises, long-billed curlews, Everglades snail kites, herons and bitterns. She installed numerous birdhouses along the riverfront to attract purple martins and other species. It wasn’t long before her husband, children and the Ford family took up bird-watching as well. A new exhibition in the Edison Caretaker’s House pays tribute to “The Birds of Southwest Florida.” It runs Sept. 1 through Dec. 6.
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“The Birds of Southwest Florida” features multiple panels containing detailed illustrations from John James Audubon, along with quotes from the Edison and Ford families. It includes antique spy glasses, books on birds, and other bird-related items that had belonged to Mina Edison.
The exhibit is a tribute to Mina Edison and her love of birds.
“In 1906, Mina Edison was worried about her children missing weeks of school to vacation in Florida,” wrote Edison Ford Curatorial Assistant Alice Rolston on June 10, 2024 in “The Edisons and the Caloosahatchee.” So, one day she took her daughter, Madeline, and four other girls on a five-day trip up the Caloosahatchee on one of Captain Menge’s steamships, Suwanee, to learn about local wildlife. During that trip, Mina gave the girls a number of birding lessons."
Bird watching had just come into vogue thanks to a scientist by the name of Edmund Selous. In June of 1898, he proposed that rather than collecting birds for study, scientists should observe birds in their natural habitats.
“Selous made empathy for birds respectable and, in doing so, changed the world,” Tim Birkhead wrote in August 2022 in Smithsonian Magazine. “Bird-watching became one of the most popular pastimes globally, eventually making birding scientific and playing a pivotal role in the animals’ conservation.”
The popularity of bird-watching was advanced in no small measure, Birkhead noted, “by the appearance of decent binoculars, which in the early 1900s enabled watchers to observe birds from a distance without disturbing them.”
Mina Edison was a dedicated conservationist
Mina Edison was a dedicated conservationist long before the word entered popular vocabularies. She was an ardent supporter, advocate, and unofficial spokeswoman for several environmental organizations, including the Chautauqua Association (where she served as President of the Bird, Tree, & Garden Club), the National Audubon Society, and School Garden Association of America.
As an integral part of the Chautauqua Association, Edison helped establish the foundation's arboretum, a botanical garden dedicated to trees which, in effect, created more potential nesting and breeding grounds for Chautauqua’s indigenous bird population.
As a member of the National Audubon Society, she helped bring awareness to issues that had a negative impact on bird life and was essentially involved in a national movement that would help spur vital legislation protecting wild North American bird species, as well as the creation of America’s first real system of waterbird sanctuaries along the east coast. Members’ collective efforts facilitated the implementation of scientifically based conservation efforts.
Mina was good friends with Jay N. “Ding” Darling, the Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist and conservationist who was President Franklin Roosevelt’s director of the United States Biological Survey, which was the precursor of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. On a couple of occasions during the early 1940s, Edison invited Darling to be an honored guest for lunch at her Fort Myers estate. His signature bird drawings can be seen in Mina Edison’s official Seminole Lodge Guest Book located inside the museum.
Edison was also close friends with Henry and Clara Ford who enjoyed birding and discussing birds.
In 1928, she co-founded and served as the first President of the Fort Myers Round Table, an influential group of community leaders that advocated for civic improvements, such as beautification of the city’s landscape, cleaning up vacant lots, removing dilapidated buildings, refurbishing the Fort Myers railroad station, and planning new parks. A few years later, she took an active role in personally advocating for bird-friendly landscaping as part of a larger campaign to establish neighborhood gardens.
Mina Edison's fascination with birds compelled her to create a safe haven and refuge for several different species at Seminole Lodge. She had purple martin houses installed over the Caloosahatchee River near the property’s seawall and pier, small feeding tables were created by staff in order for her to watch a variety of birds from her porch, and birdboxes were built and mounted around various parts of the property.
She also had a pet peacock named “Beauty” that roamed the estate and according to support staff, would open its feathers if spoken to in a gentle manner. “Beauty” was later preserved and can now be seen as part of the Mina Edison exhibit located in the museum at the estates.
Mina deeded the Edison winter estate to the City of Fort Myers in February of 1947 for one dollar, with the purpose of serving as a tribute to her late husband and a botanical garden for future generations of visitors. She died shortly thereafter on August 24, 1947, at the age of 82. She was fondly remembered by those who knew her best for her kindness, generosity, and community activism.
“Birds of Southwest Florida” is just the latest exhibition at the Edison & Ford Winter Estates to pay homage to the Edison and Ford families’ fascination with birds and bird-watching. For example, the theme for the ninth annual “Art in the Gardens” outdoor sculpture exhibition in 2017 was using recycled materials to create “Birds.” Schools from throughout Lee County participated and entered their birds, which were situated throughout the Edison Heritage Garden area near the museum.
The Edison Ford Estates also occasionally hosts seasonal bird-watching programs like "Breakfast with the Birds," featuring guided walks through its 20-acre historic botanical gardens alongside local Audubon experts.
Edison and Ford Winter Estates
Edison and Ford Winter Estates is the internationally known winter home site of Thomas Edison and Henry Ford. More than 200,000 visitors from around the globe walk through the location each year. The site is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums. It has received the National Stewardship Award from the National Trust for Historic Preservation and the National Garden Clubs’ Historic Preservation Award. The property is an official project of “Save America’s Treasures," a Florida Historic Landmark and a National Register Historic Site. The Edison Botanic Laboratory is a National Historic Chemical Landmark. The site is open every day except Thanksgiving and Christmas from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and until 9 p.m. during Holiday Nights.
Support for WGCU’s arts & culture reporting comes from the Estate of Myra Janco Daniels, the Charles M. and Joan R. Taylor Foundation, and Naomi Bloom in loving memory of her husband, Ron Wallace.
