Freeze Frame: Dedication of the Thomas A. Edison Bridge, Feb. 11, 1931

The stories behind iconic Southwest Florida snapshots

Rumor had it that the “distinguished electrician” Thomas Alva Edison wasn’t feeling well in the weeks leading up to his 84th birthday in 1931. Still, here he is, in this widely circulated photo, with wife Mina beside him, untying the ribbon to formally dedicate the Thomas A. Edison Bridge across the Caloosahatchee River in Fort Myers.

The $668,000 bridge was designed by Nat G. Walker, later architect of the city’s open-air post office. The two-mile-long bridge had been completed in October 1929, but local boosters held off the dedication until they could confirm with Mr. and Mrs. Edison that they could be present for a ceremony on Edison’s birthday on Feb. 11.

Schools were let out, and Boy and Girl Scouts marched in the parade behind the Edisons’ car. In 2014, writer and historian Amy Bennett Williams confirmed with Southwest Florida pioneer Bill Mellor that he is the boy in short pants at the left in the photo.

Also on the left, next to Mina Edison, is Esten B. Fletcher, Imperial Potentate of all Shrinedom, in Fort Myers from Rochester, N.Y., at the invitation of the area’s many Shriners.

To the right in the photo’s foreground, in traditional dress, is Seminole Medicine Man Josie Billie. His late father had guided a group of men who forged a trail by automobile across the Everglades from Fort Myers to Miami, the origin of today’s Tamiami Trail. Fourteen of 25 of these “trailblazers” were present, including W. Stanley Hanson, who interpreted Billie’s remarks for a reporter.

Behind Edison, holding the movie camera, is his young friend Jim Newton. A developer in Fort Myers in the 1920s, Newton was then living in Miami and working as a secretary for Harvey Firestone. He rode up in the car from Miami that morning with Firestone and his son. Newton returned home to Fort Myers later and captured his memories of Edison, Firestone, and Henry Ford in the book Uncommon Friends. The Uncommon Friends Foundation is based on the principles that formed the friendship among the men.

Edison normally celebrated his birthday with cake, a rare indulgence for the inventor, but he didn’t feel well enough to tackle his coconut confection that year, and his wife had pieces auctioned off to benefit the Red Cross.

Edison passed away in October 1931. The bridge was closed for good in 1992, replaced by a state-of-the-art engineering wonder.

Not pictured but present: Florida Governor Doyle Carlton, Fort Myers Mayor Josiah Fitch, and business magnate Barron Collier.

(Twenty-four Fort Myers high school girls were chosen to walk beside the Edison car as it drove toward the bridge.)

(Vintage postcard illustration)

About me

I was somewhere at 100 subscribers before I realized I’d never told you who I am. A native of Knoxville, Tenn., I moved to Fort Myers in 1998 and lived there until late 2011 — from 2000 on, I was obsessed with learning everything about the place. I went deep into historical society archives, microfilm reels, and other sources to uncover one fascinating character after another. I was an associate editor at the bygone n the magazine of naples, a senior editor at Gulfshore Life, and the editor of Grandeur, a lifestyle publication of The News-Press. At every opportunity I wrote about history.

I am lucky to be able to consult many of the notes left by late Fort Myers historian Mary Ellen Gonzalez Hanson, thanks to her family and the Hanson Family Archives. It’s not an exaggeration to say that much of the area’s history would be lost or obscured without Mrs. Hanson’s extensive research and her willingness to question some of the “official” stories of Fort Myers, including those in Karl Grismer’s 1949 book The Story of Fort Myers. I will also keep looking at these stories through a new lens. Thank you for subscribing (for free!) to The Royal Palm Review!