Thomas Edison National Historical Park facts for kids
|
Thomas Edison National Historical Park
|
|
Thomas Edison's Laboratory
|
|
 Location in New Jersey
|
|
| Location | 37 Honeysuckle Ave, West Orange, NJ 07052 |
|---|---|
| Area | 21.25 acres (8.60 ha) |
| Built | 1887 |
| Architect | H. Hudson Holly |
| Architectural style | Late Victorian, Queen Anne |
| Visitation | 55,284 (2011) |
| Website | Thomas Edison National Historical Park |
| NRHP reference No. | 66000052 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
|
| Added to NRHP | October 15, 1966 |
| Designated NHS | September 5, 1962 |
| Designated NHP | March 30, 2009 |
Thomas Edison National Historical Park is a special place in West Orange, New Jersey. It protects the laboratory where famous inventor Thomas Edison worked for over 40 years. It also preserves his beautiful home, called Glenmont.
At this laboratory, Edison and his team created many amazing things. They invented the motion picture camera, improved phonographs (record players), and developed sound recordings. They also worked on silent and sound movies, and even a special nickel-iron battery.
Contents
Exploring Edison's Properties
The park includes two main areas in West Orange. These are the second Edison Laboratories complex and Edison's home, Glenmont. His home is about 0.5 miles (0.8 km) west of the lab.
The Famous Laboratory Complex
The laboratory complex is an industrial area built by Edison in 1887. He used it to research and develop his many inventions. The complex has more than a dozen buildings. These buildings supported Edison's work in electricity, photography, and motion pictures. He also studied chemistry, metal work, and other fields here.
The main laboratory building had a private library. There were also special machine shops. These shops made tools and early versions of his inventions.
Edison's Home: Glenmont
Edison's home, Glenmont, is a large house built between 1880 and 1882. It was designed by Henry Hudson Holly. The house originally had 23 rooms. It was built with modern features for its time. These included central heating, indoor toilets, and hot and cold running water.
Thomas Edison bought Glenmont in 1886. He moved in with his second wife, Mina, and his three children from his first marriage. The house still has its original furniture. Edison later added six more rooms and electrical wiring to the house.
Edison's children with Mina grew up at Glenmont. This included Charles Edison, who later became the governor of New Jersey. His son Theodore Miller Edison also became an important industrialist.
History of the Park
The story of how this site became a National Historical Park is interesting. First, Edison's home was named the Edison Home National Historic Site in 1955. Then, his laboratory became the Edison Laboratory National Monument in 1956.
In 1962, the home and laboratory were combined. The 21-acre (8.5-hectare) site became the Edison National Historic Site. The National Park Service took care of it. In 2009, its name changed again to Thomas Edison National Historical Park. The name "Thomas" was added to help people tell it apart from other Edison sites. After a lot of work to fix up the laboratory, the park had a grand reopening in October 2009.
