The Edison family home, Glenmont, was not just a house. Glenmont was an estate that ranged over several acres of property in Llewellyn Park. The estate has several notable features, stories, and points of interest. To learn more about Glenmont, listen to the audio files below, which also form the basis of the Cell Phone Audio Tour. This is a great way to learn more about the Edison home, even when tours of Glenmont's interior are unavailable.
Please Note: To visit Glenmont, you must have a Glenmont Grounds Pass, issued by park staff at the Laboratory Complex. Llewellyn Park staff will not admit visitors who do not have a Glenmont Grounds pass. While at the Laboratory, you may also wish to take a map of the Glenmont Grounds. The numbers in the titles of these audio files correspond to the numbered stops on the tour map. Some tour stops have multiple numbers for the same audio.
Welcome to Glenmont (1)
An introduction to the audio tour and Edison's life prior to coming to West Orange.
Welcome to Glenmont, home of Thomas and Mina Edison. With each stop of the tour, you’ll get to know the estate that Thomas and Mina loved so much. To bring you up to speed, Edison was born in Milan, Ohio, raised in Michigan, and traveled as a young man around the east coast as a telegrapher. His first laboratory was in Newark, New Jersey where he met and married Mary Stilwell. They had three children. Marion, Thomas Jr, who were nicknamed ‘Dot’ and ‘Dash’ after his work with the telegraph, and William Leslie. Edison’s second laboratory was in Menlo Park, New Jersey where he worked on the phonograph and the electrical distribution system. While working in New York City on the electrical system, Mary Stilwell took ill and died in 1884. Thomas Edison never spent much time in Menlo Park again after that. He remarried in 1886 and bought the Glenmont estate for his new bride, Mina Miller.
Llewellyn Park (2 & 30)
An overview of Llewellyn Park, the suburban residential community in which the Edison home Glenmont is located.
When Edison bought the Glenmont estate in 1886, he became a proprietor in a suburban, residential community called Lewellyn Park. It was marketed as ‘Country Homes for City People’ in 1857. It was a rustic country retreat for intellectuals and businessmen. Romantically designed with large lots and winding roads, it included a fifty-acre preserved woodland known as ‘The Ramble’ for the shared enjoyment of park residents. The original deed prohibited any building to be used as a hotel, slaughterhouse, brewery, distillery, or hat factory. While calling cards were initially required to gain entry through the main gate, the rule was relaxed in 1873 to allow respectable strangers and visitors to enter without a calling card. True to Lewellyn Haskell’s original intent, Lewellyn Park remains a private, residential community today still governed by the deed of trust and managed by a committee of managers elected by the proprietors. The Edison’s 15-acre estate is one of over a hundred and seventy private homes in the 420-acre community, and the only one owned by the National Park Service.
Estate Staff (3 & 29)
Hear about the support of the domestic workers and hired help at Glenmont.
How did Mina manage the Glenmont estate, a winter home in Fort Myers, Florida, plus three children with Edison and three step-children? With hired help! Most of the staff who worked in the Edison house were women. Over the years there was a cook, nurse, maid, chambermaid, parlor maid, waitress, and laundress. Most of the men were hired to work as gardeners or a chauffeur, and eventually a butler was hired. The head gardener and family lived over the potting shed. The chauffeur and family originally lived over the stables, but when they were torn down, moved into quarters over the garage. Servants represented many cultural backgrounds. Madeleine Edison Sloan remembers the servants as, “all seem to be of different nationalities, a ‘League of Nations.’ ”
Pump and Hose House (4)
What was Mina afraid of during World War 2? Learn more about the small green building next to Glenmont.
The long wooden posts in this grassy area were used by the Edison servants to hang laundry lines to air dry household clothes and linens. A laundress worked in the room closest to the laundry yard washing and ironing. A laundry yard was then used for drawing in good weather. In the winter or in inclement weather, household items were hung out to dry inside. Notice this laundry yard is shielded by trees and bushes so that it would not be an eyesore for family members or guests strolling the grounds of the estate. Notice the small green building with the ornate trim to the left of the laundry yard. This was the pump house. The pump predates the Edison ownership of the Glenmont property. During his time at Glenmont, Edison improved the pump system by electrifying it with DC motors. Mina was especially concerned about the pump house during World War II. Gardener Tom Holstom describes the pump house as, “I’m not sure but I think it is 250 feet. We had the pipes taken out during the second World War, and of course the bottom barrel got stuck and Mrs. Edison was afraid that we would run short of water if there was any bombing, so she had this taken care of.”
Activities on the Lawn (5 & 25))
What was the event that almost created a scandal in the Edison family? What was Thomas Edison's favorite holiday? The Edisons used the lawn around Glenmont to stage many activities for their entertainment. Learn more by listening to this audio.
A variety of family activities took place on the back lawn behind the home. The family used the lawns on the estate property to play such games as croquet and bocce ball. We still have these games in our collection today. In earlier years, this back section of the property is referred to as the ‘Croquet Lawn’, but childhood games were also played here. A sand pile in this area was used to build forts and castles to play war and soldier games when the children were small. Charles, the son of Thomas Edison, talks about the back lawn, “We used to play out in the back yard. The back lawn was our favorite spot. We would play with bicycles. Bicycles were just coming in then in a big way and all the ladies were riding bicycles. The old single wheel with the little wheel had kind of given way to the two-wheel bicycle, somewhat as we know it now and it had become a great rage, I remember when I was a kid. The horrors of bloomers were also being discussed. None of the ladies in our family could wear them when they rode bicycles because that was the height of impropriety. Nevertheless, one courageous aunt of mine decided she was going to ride a bicycle wearing them. That was my Aunt Mary, and she did, and it almost created a scandal in the Edison family but nevertheless she persisted and rode her bicycle.” Charles also recalls spending time on the lawn on his father’s favorite holiday. On the Fourth of July, Thomas Edison spent the entire day with his family getting up early to shoot off torpedoes, Chinese firecrackers, and little pinwheels with his children. Charles talks about his father on the Fourth of July by saying, “In the afternoon he might take a nap, but then he’d come down again and start working over the fireworks and setting them up on the front lawn which was a very large lawn. Then mother would have some guests in for the fireworks. He always made me take charge of the fireworks as his assistant. He told me the dangers of them, so we never had any real accidents, although once or twice the rockets fell off the shoot and started shooting towards the house. Nothing very serious ever happened. Then after that mother would always have a huge lot of watermelons out there and ice cream for the assembled guests. It was his big day with the children, not that he didn't have other days and didn’t play around with us, but that was sort of consecrated to the children.”
Thomas and Mina At Rest (6)
Where were Thomas and Mina originally buried? Hear more about the gravesites of Thomas and Mina Edison.
Thomas Edison died on October 18, 1931 here at Glenmont. Mina Edison continued to live here until her own death in 1947. Both were buried at nearby Rosedale Cemetery in Orange. In 1963 at the request of the family, the remains of Thomas and Mina were moved here, the final resting place at the Glenmont estate. Their grave sites are marked by two carved, granite ledger tablets that were used at Rosedale. While Mina’s stone includes religious imagery, Edison’s features a pearl in an open shell. Known as a monad, this design represents individual life units which Edison believed made up each person. The stone memorial lanterns are reproductions of national art treasures in Japan, symbolizing the concept of eternal life that Edison gave to humanity. They were presented to Mina at a ceremony at the Laboratory on Main Street in 1935, a gift from the Electrical Association of Japan. Although originally intended to stand at the grave site, the lanterns remained at the laboratory until 2004.
Conservatory (7)
Learn more about the conservatory, guests of Glenmont, and one of Mina's favorite hobbies.
This glass-enclosed porch on the first floor of Glenmont is the conservatory. Mina used this room in every season except for the extreme heat of summer. One of her favorite activities was to bird-watch in the comfort of this room. Notice one of her bird feeders just outside the conservatory. It’s the dome-shaped feeder mounted on a post. Mina’s interest in birding took her far beyond the Glenmont grounds. She was the founder of the Chautauqua bird and tree club for the adult educational center in upstate New York. She also was an active member of the Audubon society, often organizing and attending chapter dinners and presentations in New York City. Her personal bird book, still in the museum collection, carefully detail all her bird sightings. Her notes even include who she was with when she sighted the new species. According to gardener Tom Holstrom, “The bird feeders were used a lot during Mrs. Edison’s time. We used to feed the birds all winter long. We used approximately 50 pounds of grass seed per month and Mrs. Edison also fed them up on the bird feeder she had over the conservatory. She also had a bird bath up there. It was heated with electricity so that the water didn't freeze. She had a switch in the bedroom and if it froze during the night, she could just turn on the switch and it melted the ice.” Now although the birds may have been the most pampered guests at Glenmont, many other guests routinely gathered on the grounds for important events. In June 1914 Madeleine, her daughter, was married in the drawing room of Glenmont. A reception was hosted by Mina and Thomas for the newly married couple on the grounds. Family birthdays and other lawn parties were also the norm. During World War I, Lewellyn Park residents were invited to meet the Forty-Seventh French Division, nicknamed the Blue Devils, while they visited the Glenmont grounds on June of 1918. The “Blue Devils” were guests at both laboratories and Glenmont during their visit.
Family (8 & 26)
What were the nicknames for Thomas Edison's first two children? Discover what family life was like for the Edisons.
When Thomas and Mina Edison moved into Glenmont shortly after the marriage in 1886, Glenmont also became home of Edison’s children from his deceased first wife Mary Stilwell Edison; Marion, Thomas Jr. and William Leslie. Marion and Thomas Jr were called ‘Dot’ and ‘Dash’ by Edison, nicknames that dated from when Edison was heavily involved in improving telegraph equipment. Edison had three more children with Mina; Madeleine born in 1888, Charles in 1890, and Theodore in 1898. All three children were born in the master bedroom on the second floor and christened in the first floor Drawing Room. Although Glenmont could easily accommodate this large family, because of their different ages Edison’s six children rarely lived in Glenmont all at the same time. Family life inside the house centered around the Living Room located in the room over the covered driveway on the second floor. It was in this room that the Edison family relaxed when not entertaining guests. Madeleine recalls family parcheesi games in the Living Room where, “Father would bend the rules a bit when losing.” Theodore Edison remembered being drafted to help his father with research in the Living Room, finding all the references he could for whatever Edison was working on, marking the pages and then bringing the books over to his father who was working at a big library desk. This sometime might go on until two in the morning. It was in the Master Bedroom on the second floor that Edison died on October 18, 1931 after a long illness. Three days later, Edison’s funeral service was held in the Drawing Room.
Glenmont's Link to the Labs (9)
With his laboratory only minutes away, it seemed natural the two would be linked. Learn more about the nature of that connection, as well as one reason why the Edisons needed a large home.
Why did Edison need such a big house? A quick reason is because Mina was used to a nice home and Edison offered it to her as a wedding gift in 1886, but it was probably Mina who saw the real need for a large beautiful home to help with business; to be an extension of the laboratories. Nowadays, when businessmen or women want to network, rub elbows, or perhaps seal a deal, they'd might do it at the country club or perhaps play a round of golf. Well, Edison didn't play golf and he didn't like to have drinks at the country club, so Mina brought the clients and dignitaries to him. When guests visited Thomas Edison, they usually took a tour of the laboratory or manufacturing plant and at some point during the visit went to Glenmont. When the King of Siam came to visit it was for tea, when Edison received the Congressional Medal it was for dinner, and when some recording artists come it was to perform. The guests’ list is endless: Helen Keller, Madam Montessori, Henry Ford, and Orville Wright just to name a few. But did you also know that the labs and Glenmont were physically connected? Thomas Edison had the house wired for electricity in 1887. The original plan was to have a generator in the stable to create the electricity, but by early December of ’87 it was decided to run electrical wires from the laboratory to Glenmont. Edison got permission from the Llewellyn Park committee of managers to run the wires underground from the labs to Glenmont. On December 23, 1887, Charles Batchelor, an Edison mucker wrote, “Edison’s house was lit up for the first time tonight from the laboratory.”
Glenmont's First Owner (10)
Who originally owned Glenmont? It wasn't the Edison family...listen to learn more, including changes made by the Edisons.
Glenmont was built in 1880 for Henry and Louisa Pedder. Pedder, a confidential clerk who worked for Arnold Constable and Co. in New York City, embezzled the money from this company in order to finance Glenmont. When Pedder’s criminal activity was discovered, the company seized the property and sold it to Thomas Edison. The cost for 13.5 acres and a fully furnished house? $125,000. The Edison’s made changes to the home over the decades. For example, the covered driveway that you are looking at, called a Porte-cochère, was added in 1905. Over the years Mina also added to the original furnishings, hiring decorators to refurbish the rooms to suit the times. Decorating firms that worked at Glenmont included: Pottier and Stymus, Hertz Brothers, Herter Brothers, and Proctor and Company. Significant works of art and elegant wall coverings also reflect the quiet grandeur that makes Glenmont what it is today.
New Yorker Henry Hudson Holly was already an influential architect prior to designing Glenmont in 1880. In addition to designing several estates, railroad stations, and churches, Holly had also published two influential house pattern books which instructed the reader how to make the perfect house. Topics included plumbing, heating, lighting and the building site. Not surprisingly, Holly also made recommendations for interior features. Glenmont is decorated in accordance with Holly’s second book, ‘Modern Dwellings’. Influenced by the East Lake style in the arts and crafts movement, Holly is considered to be the inventor of the American Queen-Anne style of architecture. Glenmont is one of the only remaining examples of his residential work in the United States.
Queen Anne Style (12)
What are some of the hallmarks of the "Queen Anne" style homes, such as Glenmont? Why does Glenmont look like a giant gingerbread house?
The Queen-Anne style movement in the United States was popularized during the last two decades of the nineteenth century. With no relation to the British Queen-Anne style, it is its own distinct style. It is primarily based upon the old English style of architecture. The characteristics of Queen-Anne style homes makes them resemble a gingerbread house that you might recall from your early childhood. One feature is a steeply-pitched roof of an unusual shape. This is combined with long winding porches in several different places on the outside of the home. Because of this, when you look at a Queen-Anne style house from the front, it often looks asymmetrical. Textured shingles also gives the house’s outward appearance the look of a gingerbread house.
The Skating Pond at Glenmont (13)
What happened to the Edison family's skating pond? Learn more about this unusual feature here.
In October of 1926 landscape architect, Ellen Biddle Shipman, was hired to design a skating pond with a shelter on the grounds of Glenmont. The plans are titled “Mrs. Edison’s Pond”. Her design was to replace an earlier pond that was constructed on the grounds in 1903. According to daughter-in-law, Anne Edison, the pond was constructed in 1926 but the skating pond house was never built. Execution of Shipman’s plans proved difficult. The skating pond was built over the site of an earlier stable building whose basement had to be properly excavated and then filled in with clay before the pond could be completed. Needless to say, the local contractor hired to take on the job created a pond that would not hold water. Mrs. Edison refused to pay the balance for the construction of the pond and there’s no evidence that the matter ever was resolved.
Vegetable and Fruit Garden (14)
What vegetables did the Edisons and their staff try to grow all winter long? Learn about the growing season and what you could expect to find in the gardens here.
What many visitors don’t realize is that the Edisons grew some of their own fruits and vegetables for use in everyday meals and preserve. Behind the garage was located the original garden. Gardener Tom Holstrom says, “The vegetable garden was laid out in six squares on the sides and the back of the garage. Along the hedges was blackberries and raspberries except in the section where the rose arbor is. That has always been that way. We had one section with asparagus, and the rhubarb bed was down here, and in the center of the garden was a peach tree which we had to replace every once in a while. We grew all kinds of vegetables here from early spring until late fall. We grew three kinds of cabbage, early, mid and winter cabbage, beets, carrots, and we grew a lot of celery. Mrs. Edison was very fond of celery. We had spinach, peas, beans, and escarole. Those were another favorite thing of Mrs. Edison. She liked it in the fall and we used to have that practically all winter because we used to cover it up so that it wouldn’t freeze during the winter."
The Garage (15 & 27)
What did Thomas Edison do to relax? Listen to learn more about the garage, its notable features, and even its occupants.
Thomas Edison was a great fan of the automobile from the time he first owned one in the late 1890’s. Edison’s son Charles remarked in an interview that, “my father enjoyed motoring probably as much as anything he ever did in the way of relaxation.” Through the years Edison owned a variety of electric, gasoline and even steam powered cars. To house and better maintain these cars, the garage you see was built in 1908 replacing a carriage house that originally stood just to the west. The garage currently houses four automobiles owned by Thomas Edison: a 1922 Model T Ford, a 1908 Electric Locomobile, and 2 Detroit Electrics, a fifth car, a 1936 Brewster, was owned by Charles Edison. The garage was well equipped with a gas pump, turn table to move the cars into position, a grease pit, and a battery charger for the electric cars. In the early years of the automobile, gasoline cars were noisy, dirty, and unreliable. Electric cars rivaled gasoline powered cars in popularity being quieter and easier to operate. A major handicap though was their short range and lack of power. Edison worked for a number of years to develop a superior battery to power the electric car. Although the nickel-iron alkaline battery he developed during the first decade of the twentieth century wasn’t able to match the performance of the improved gasoline powered cars developed by Henry Ford and others, it was the basis for the alkaline battery used so commonly today and is often considered Edison’s greatest invention after 1900. For all his love of cars and motoring, Edison took a decidedly hands-off approach to driving and car maintenance. While only in his early teens, Charles Edison was given the task of actually doing the driving for his father. Charles recalled only one occasion when his father actually drive himself. As Charles related the story in an interview, “We were just out for a Sunday drive, we got near Westfield and an insect hit me in the eye and I couldn’t see at all. There were no windshields in those days. I said, why don’t you drive, father? And he said he’d try, so he got in and we went a little bit. I was holding my eye. When I looked out of the other eye we were headed to the gutter! All of a sudden he yanked the thing the other way and we headed for the other gutter and finally climbed up the side of the embankment and got stuck. From that day on he never would touch another automobile.” A little while later the Edison’s employed a chauffeur who lived in the apartment on the 2nd floor of the Glenmont garage.
The Barn (16)
With a barn, a vegetable garden, and acres of grass for pasture, Glenmont produced plenty of foodstuffs for the family. But could it be considered a farm? Learn more here.
The Edison’s lived on what could be called a working estate it provided for some meat, eggs, fruits and vegetables. But the estate was not like a farm that would be completely self-sufficient the family still purchased stuff in town. The barn was probably built around 1880 and is believed to be moved in whole or in part from its original location sometime between 1900 and 1908. It was originally located where the garage stands today. It housed on average about 100 chickens and usually 1 or 2 cows. The chickens were kept in the section of the barn nearest the stone fence. The chickens were divided into 2 groups they had broilers and roosters for eating, and hens for laying eggs. One gardener estimated that in 1919 about 40 hens laid 6,400 eggs in a year and that another 50 chickens were eaten. He also estimated that the 2 cows averaged 20 quarts of milk a day. What the Edison’s did with all that milk is still a mystery although it was probably used by family, staff and possibly given to some charities. As you walk around the barn you will notice small holes now covered with wood, where the chicken could freely go inside and outside of the building. The area was fenced in and as mentioned before the Broilers and roosters went one side and hens on the other. The cows would graze in pasture to the east of the barn. You might be wondering if the Edison’s ever had a horse. Well originally there was a stable the early years the horse or horses we are not sure how many or how long they had them, would be kept in the stable. It was located where the skating pond is today. The stable eventually became all but rat-infested Mina had it torn down in mid 1920s. If you peek through the window on the east side of the barn you might be able to see the horse’s stall. Before the stable was raised Mina had the stalls removed and reconstructed here in the barn. As you're walking around, did you notice the concrete foundation outside of the barn? This is the remains of the swimming pool although we don’t know when it was built possibly as early as 1890s or 1900s, most likely was built to keep the children to keep cool in the summer. Overtime it became a pool to keep the pigs in or a pit to keep the leaves in. It was filled in for safety in the early 1960’s.
The Potting Shed (17)
What exactly is a potting shed? Why is it connected to the Greenhouse? Learn more about this set of buildings here.
Mina loved flowers. One of her favorite flowers was the rose. According to gardener Tom Holstrom, she used to have roses in all the guests’ rooms. Mina had the present greenhouse and potting shed built in about 1909 on the original site of Henry Pedder’s greenhouses. The potting shed is considered the concrete building that houses space for storing plants and equipment, bulbs during the winter, space to pot or repot plants, and on the second floor a space for the head gardener to live. Sometimes this part of the building is referred to as the Gardner’s Cottage. Attached to the Potting Shed are the greenhouses. The greenhouses were divided into sections. There was a palm room with many tropical plants for use in the conservatory, the orchid room, a rose room, cut flower beds and a propagating room. According to gardener Tom Holstrom, the orchids were moved into the conservatory for display when they were in bloom. The rose room was for cut flowers to be used throughout the house and the flower beds generally had carnations and snap dragons also for use in the house. Today large agave live in this room. Most of these cacti are direct descendants of the plants that the Edison’s grew. Frequently the large agaves, which were in pots in the conservatory in Edison’s time, were moved out on to the front lawn of the home. As you walk around the greenhouse, you’ll notice several foundations. The sections attached to the greenhouse, now wrapped in netting to keep the deer out, was once a greenhouse. It was taken down in the early 1950’s because it was falling apart. The small portion remaining was used, and still is used, as propagating plants. The other foundations that you see are what remains of the original Pedder greenhouses. The Edison’s converted these foundations into pole frames.
Formal Garden (18)
Who helped Mina design the area around the greenhouse? Discover the importance of a "formal garden" by listening to this recording.
The area with the linear beds in front of the greenhouse was used as a formal garden. The walk that extends from Honeysuckle lane to the greenhouse doors is original. In 1929 Ellen Biddle Shipman was hired by Mina to create a plan for this garden area. The plans are titled “Plan for the rearrangement of the garden of Mrs. Thomas A. Edison”. The plans included several arbors as well as reflecting pools. Shipman is considered to be one of a Americas most significant landscape architects. Her primary focus was residential gardens which she designed for prominent citizens all over the nation. An advocate for woman in the field of landscape design Shipmen operated out of her own office in New York City with an all-female staff. Its unclear if the plans designed for Minas garden were ever implemented. The garden area that is enclosed by the grape arbor was used as a cutting garden. This is from gardener Tom Holsten in an interview in 1969. "On the right hand side is the cut flower garden with the grape arbor around it. It was primarily used for cut flowers during Mrs. Edison’s time. we have planted vegetables now just to show a few things that were grown at Glenmont for the visitors to see when they come around the garden. But it was a flower garden a cut flower garden. We grew a lot of Dalia’s and all kind of cut flowers. And special late ones for the fall. Gladiolas are the most for the fall because Mrs. Edison did not come home from Chicago before the middle of September."
Charles Edison at Glenmont (19)
Charles Edison, son of Thomas and Mina, got into mischief like many children in their youth. Listen to hear about his escapades, including the construction of a railway at Glenmont.
Thomas Edison’s son Charles was known to get into mischief while playing on the ground at Glenmont. In an oral history interview Charles describes building a pirate’s din, creating underground playhouses. Even getting into scuffles with, what he referred to as the neighborhood gangs inside Llewelyn park community. The gangs often used slingshots and stones to challenge each other’s in a duel. At one-point Charles took on a new interest he became intrigued with an old horse car in the yard at the Laboratory, and so he decided to hatch his plan. So, one day he said I asked my father if I couldn’t have a horse car and build a railway up on a place to run it. We had a meadow section over by the Greenhouse where I wanted to build the railway and run this car. He said that if I build the railway, I could have the car. So, our gang got together, and we got some ties out of the laboratory. My father gave me some length of rail and we started to build the railroad. Father had the old horse car howed up from the hill into the park and we put it into the meadow. We learned quite a little bit about railroad building you couldn’t just nail tracks to the ties you had to use spikes. Now, it was well quit an educational project. Eventually we turned to other things and the car remained over in the meadow for there a long time. It was an Isore. Finally, mother was at me to either get the car away or do something with it. So, one 4th of July we thought it would be wonderful to burn the old car because it was a terrible Isore. Father didn’t seem to concern. He didn’t know we were planning to burn this. After the burning of the car we told father about it, and he was really quite upset. He said don’t you know what that car was? I said no, mother said she didn’t either. But it was a terrible old thing, and all fallen apart and in bad repair. He said, that was the car I used on railway at Menlo Park. That was the passenger car, that was the first electric locomotive ever pulled. Well I of course I felt very bad about it and so did mother. There was nothing we could do about it the thing had burned and was gone.
Glenmont and the NPS (20)
What happened to the estate after Thomas and Mina passed away?
In 1946, a year before she died, Mina Edison sold the Edison estate to TAE inc. provided that Glenmont and its contents be preserved as a memorial to my dear husband and his work. Sense 1959 the National Park Service has administered the site along with the Edison Laboratory on Main Street. An Act of congress on September 5, 1962 renamed the home, and Laboratory Edison National Historic site. It set to commemorate outstanding achievements of the great American inventor, Thomas Alva Edison. The electric light, sound recording, motion pictures, and the research and development laboratory are just a few of his impacts on the modern world.
What Else Can I Do? (21)
By visiting Glenmont, you are taking part in how Glenmont should be interpreted for the future. Listen to a chief ranger talk about what that means today.
Welcome to Glenmont, my name is Karen Sloat-Olsen and I’m the chief of Interpretation here at Thomas Edison National Historical Park. I hope you're enjoying your visit. While you are here, aside from taking a tour of the home, make sure that you explore the greenhouse and see some of the plants and flowers that Mina loved so much. If you have children with you, they might enjoy participating in the greenhouse scavenger hunt called, “The Great Train Shrubbery.” Just ask the ranger at the information desk for the handout. Another activity for children is the Jr. Ranger Program. Just ask for the pamphlet of activities your child needs to complete while visiting the site. Upon completion your child can earn a Jr. Badge. You can also check on the information desk or on the bulletin board for a list of special events. We love to hear about your visits. What did you like best? Did you have a personal connection or story about Thomas or Mina Edison. Just press “0” then the “#” sign and tell us your story. If you need more information you can press the “*” key and get our web address, my phone number, email address, and will have it text right to your phone. Enjoy your day here at Glenmont. We hope you visit again soon.
Last updated: April 14, 2023
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Mailing Address:
211 Main Street
West Orange,
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07052
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