Edison and Ford Winter Estates to feature special exhibit about Terry Park and baseball legends who played there
To celebrate spring training and Thomas Edison’s love of baseball, Edison and Ford Winter Estates is holding a special event to showcase a new exhibit that highlights some baseball legends who once played at Terry Park. The event will take place Friday, March 1, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., in the museum at the Estates at 2350 McGregor Blvd., Fort Myers.
Cornelius McGillicuddy, aka “Connie Mack,” was the manager and owner of the Philadelphia Athletics. He provided the specifications to build Terry Park, which opened for spring training in 1925. Thomas Edison was a frequent visitor at Terry Park and on at least one occasion, participated in batting practice with the Athletics team.
The Mack and Nolen families graciously loaned the Estates key artifacts to create a new baseball exhibit entitled “Fanatics: Edison, Mack, and Baseball in Fort Myers.” On March 1, the public is invited to come to the event and meet Connie Mack, III, see the new exhibit, listen to baseball presentations, and tour the museum and botanic research laboratory. There will also be kids’ activities and food and beverages will be available for purchase.
Admission to the event is $10; however, Edison Ford members and children 12 and younger will be admitted free. The riverside of the property will not be open during the event. For more information about the Estates, visit EdisonFord.org.
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 220,000 visitors walk through the location each year from all around the globe. The organization has received many awards, including 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 the month of December for Holiday Nights.