Dick proudly boasts of his connection to Thomas Edison. He says his grandmother, Olive Clifton Dullum is a second or third cousin to Thomas Edison's second wife, Mina (pronounced my-na) Miller Edison. So, to visit Edison's West Orange, New Jersey laboratory, factory, and home on the day he celebrated his 66th birthday, it was a very special day indeed. He can be seen below in the far right of the left photo walking across the courtyard between the three-story building that was one of Edison's factories, and a long, narrow building that was Edison's lab. The photo on the right shows what the lab looked like in Edison's day. The equipment and supplies used to conduct experiments still remain on the original lab tables and shelves today.
Although some buildings are closed to visitors, there is much to see. Many items are professionally displayed with identifying information, but some areas are as if the workers moments ago left for lunch and plan to return. When we think of Thomas Edison, the light bulb immediately comes to mind, as in this old string of Christmas tree lights, but his patents are varied and numerous. Did you know he invented the first phonograph? While he continued to perfect his phonograph, he restructured one of his factories to begin manufacturing electrical household appliances such as this toaster from his high-end Edicraft line.
For forty-five years, Thomas and Mina resided at Glenmont, a 23-room home on thirteen acres in West Orange, New Jersey overlooking the valley where Edison's lab and factory were built. The house is open to the public for guided tours. (Photos Source: Mina Miller Edison. A Publication of the Charles Edison Fund, 1981.) I would have been perfectly content as a servant there...
In the kitchen maybe? It was the pan of cutout sugar cookies.