Edison State Park

The Edison State Park is located in the Menlo Park section of Edison, New Jersey. It covers a total area of 37 acres. The park commemorates the site where the famous inventor Thomas Alva Edison had his Menlo Park laboratory. In his laboratory, Edison invented over 600 inventions such as the incandescent electric light and the phonograph, the latter being the first object to record and play sound.

History

The research and development laboratory in Menlo Park was the first of its kind in the world. On October 22, 1879, Thomas Edison tested a bamboo filament which lasted over 30 hours. This was the world's first successful light bulb. It was made after Thomas Edison tested over a thousand filaments in six months. 3 years earlier, Thomas Edison tested his wax and tinfoil phonograph by recording and playing "Mary Had a Little Lamb." Thomas Edison improved Alexander Graham Bell's telephone using carbon. In addition, he invented an electric train and tested it on a track built around his laboratory. In 1887, when Thomas Edison needed a bigger laboratory closer to New York City, he moved his research laboratory to West Orange, New Jersey. Most of the buildings either burned down or collapsed, and the 2 surviving buildings, the glass shed and the Sarah Jordan Boarding House were moved by Henry Ford in 1929 to Greenfield Village in Dearborn, Michigan. The remaining structures from the other buildings was used by Henry Ford to rebuild them in Greenfield Village, where you can still see the buildings today. At this historic site a memorial was built. On February 11, 1938,[1] 7 years after Edison's death, a 131 feet tall Art Deco tower was dedicated in honor of the Wizard of Menlo Park.

The Edison State Park Today

There is also a small, 2 room museum with a collection of Edison memorabilia such as historic light bulbs, phonographs, dynamos and portions of Edison's electric train test track. Tours are available for free but the Edison Tower Memorial Corporation recommends you donate at least $5.00 per person. Souvenirs are also available at the museum. After it was put on the list of New Jersey's most endangered historic sites in 1997 (the tower was closed in 1992 after slabs or concrete started falling from the 54-year-old freestanding structure), the Edison Township Memorial Corporation started a $3.875 million renovation. On October 24th, 2015, the end of the restoration was marked by a rededication ceremony which included the relighting of the tower. In the future, there are plans to build a new, larger museum featuring many hands-on activities, and exhibits with artifacts. Surrounding the 2 historic acres is a small forest with a couple of trails. In the forest are a small pond, a meadow and several ravines that are visible from the trail. On Christie Street, the world's first street lit by electric lights, there are several informative boards describing Menlo Park in the Edison Era.

References

  1. ↑ "NJ gives $2.4 million contract for restoring Edison tower". Bloomberg Businessweek. April 28, 2011. Retrieved 2 July 2013.

Coordinates: 40°33′42″N 74°20′26″W / 40.5617°N 74.3405°W / 40.5617; -74.3405

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