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The National Park Service welcomes you to the Glenmont Estate,
home of Thomas and Mina Edison
and a unit of the Thomas Edison National Historical Park.
It is here on this large estate in Llewelyn Park
that the Edison's raised their children,
entertained friends, family and business associates
and enjoyed wandering the grounds.
It was a grand home for a great inventor.
Edison purchased the estate as a wedding gift
for his bride to be Mina Miller in 1886.
The original owner, Henry Pedder, spent over 250 thousands dollars
to build and furnish Glenmont.
however it was soon discovered that the
money had been embezzled from his employer
and the country estate was put on the market.
Edison bought the 29 room mansion,
fully furnished and the 13 and a half
landscape acres for 125 thousand dollars.
The Edison's made Glenmont their home for the rest of their lives.
The interior of Glenmont can be seen as three separate areas.
The public rooms on the first floor used for entertaining,
the family rooms on the second and third floors,
and the servant areas which included workspace and bedrooms.
Let's take a look at the public areas first.
After walking in the front door
visitors to Glenmont found themselves in the entrance hall
which was designed to make a positive first impression of the house.
The room looks much as it did when
Edison first saw it in 1886 describing that
"When I entered this I was paralyzed.
To think that it was possible to buy a place like this.
The idea fairly turned my head and I snapped it up.
It is a great deal too nice for me but it isn't half nice enough for my little wife here"
Richly decorated with carved mahogany
oak and stained glass windows,
It gives a grand first impression of the home even today.
Mrs. Edison added her own personal touches
such as the portrait of Thomas Edison but otherwise little has changed.
On either side of the entrance hall were rooms designed to receive guests,
the library to the right, was seldom used by the Edison's
and retains more the original furniture and finishes
than any other room in the house. It includes the stenciled walls and ceiling,
shelves of books, the table and armchairs,
and many decorative objects. Guests of the Edison's would usually be shown to
the reception area to the left of the entrance hall.
Mina enjoyed this room and it is here that she would serve afternoon tea,
meet with friends, or listen to her children play the organ.
Adjoining the reception room is the drawing-room,
a more formal entertaining space. To the left of the entrance way is a portrait of
Madeleine Edison Sloan, the eldest child of Thomas and Mina Edison.
Madeleine was married in the drawing room in June 1914.
The large mirror was covered with a tapestry,
and the furniture removed to accommodate the ceremony.
The reception was held on the front lawn.
Mina, whose portrait hangs on the far wall,
loved to entertain in this room. Dinner guests would gather in the drawing-room
before being invited to the dining room.
Mina held formal recitals by professional musicians,
and receptions in the drawing-room such as the gathering of the
Daughters of the American Revolution,
or visits by Herbert Hoover and Helen Keller.
Madeleine also remembered less formal gatherings like when her uncles and
friends from Yale gathered around the piano to sing.
I'm sending you this flower dear it grows up there in view
I gathered it beside the rustic stream
The little brook that murmurs in the valley that we knew
Where in the evening tide we sit and dream.
The dining room was a very busy area.
The family ate all their meals here.
In an interview Edison once said that he came down to breakfast at 7,
ate, read the paper, smoked a cigar
and went to the laboratory at 7:30.
As Thomas and Mina advanced in years
they took breakfast in their bedroom
but lunch and dinner were always eaten in dining room.
Dinner parties and family gatherings could sometimes be quite large.
When the table was extended fully
it could seat up to 30 people.
The Edison's entertained distinguished guests such as,
Charles Lindbergh, Woodrow Wilson and Henry Ford
as well as many of Mina's extended family.
She was one of 11 children
and often there were large
gatherings around the holidays.
The den was used for a variety of activities.
On some occasions, particularly family events,
guests would move to the den after dinner,
a less formal entertaining space then the drawing-room.
When the children were young they used the den
as a stage for plays with the adult audience
seated in the dining room.
The den was also the scene of dancing,
and piano lessons, and the family
Christmas tree during the holidays.
The room was decorated by the Edison
family with favorite mementos and souvenirs.
Some were gifts from foreign dignitaries to honor Thomas Edison,
such as the pen and ink set by Krupp the arms manufacturer,
and the Jade vases from the Czar of Russia.
Others are family vacation souvenirs, like
the wood statue purchased by the children in 1911
because the figure looked so much like their father.
Let's head upstairs to the family rooms.
Thomas and Mina lived in Glenmont for 45 years.
The master bedroom was where Madeleine,
Charles, and Theodore were born in
1888, 1890, and 1898 respectively.
It was also in this room that Thomas Edison passed away
on October 18th 1931
surrounded by his family.
Mina continued to live in the house until her death in 1947.
The room at the North or opposite end of the hall
was a guest room
in later years, but was a nursery when the children were young.
The other bedrooms were used by various Edison children,
guests and family members through the years.
To the Edison family the most important room in the house may have been the
family living room on the second floor.
This is where the family would relax, much like our family rooms of today.
As you enter the family living room on the left
is the desk used by Edison where he would often work long into the night.
Mina used the desk on the right.
Besides running the household, Mina was also active in a variety of church,
charity and social organizations. The living room was also a place for the
family to spend time together.
Whether it was reading Sunday newspapers, researching a project,
or playing board games. Madeleine recalled playing Parcheesi
with her father
who she claims
"Bent the rules a bit when he was losing."
Theodore Edison recalled being drafted to comb the books in the living room for research
information for one of his father's projects.
The children would mark the pages and
bring the books over to Edison at his desk.
Charles was probably the best-known
Edison child, serving as Secretary of the Navy under Franklin Roosevelt,
and Governor of New Jersey during World War 2.
Like many living rooms today family photos adorn tables and walls,
knick-knacks are scattered around and favorite reading materials
line the shelves.
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The last section in the house, but certainly not the least
was the servant area. Typical of the time period
a staff of servants was employed to keep the house
in order and running smoothly, Several staff members lived on the third floor,
while others lived in town.
The gardner lived over the potting shed
adjacent to the greenhouse and the chauffeur
lived over the garage. A separate building on the lower lawn.
The house was designed so staff could move
up and down the servant stairs without being seen by visiting guests.
In the servants dining room
staff could relax, take their meal,
listen to the phonograph or play the piano.
The laundry room, especially in winter,
or on rainy days, could be crowded.
Clothes would have been washed and normally hung to dry
in the laundry yard just outside the servant entrance,
however during bad weather they were washed and dried
in this room. Central to the servant area
is the kitchen. All meals were prepared here
for family and staff alike. Meals for the family were moved from the kitchen
to the butler's pantry and then served in the dining room.
The adjoining butler's pantry is also where
dishes and silverware were washed and stored.
Mina used the term "home executive"
to describe her position supervising the household.
While Mina planned event and menus,
the cooking and serving was left to her staff.
Glenmont was an estate.
The entire property was used by the family and staff.
The barn, far away from the home and hidden behind trees,
house chickens, a cow or two, and the occasional pig,
or other farm animal.
The garage, made of Edison Portland Cement house the family cars.
Today you can see the 1922 Model T Ford that chauffeured Edison
to and from work, and the Detroit electric cars
that were used primarily by Mina. The garage also housed a gas pump,
electric car charging station,
and a turntable to easily move the cars.
The potting shed today
serves as a visitor orientation area and is adjacent
to the greenhouse. In the greenhouse are some of Mina's
favorite plants, palms, agave cactus,
roses and orchids.
Around the grounds the family might host a party
such as Madeline's wedding reception, or the 1929
Edison's scholarship competition.
The children would play games or have a picnic.
Today
Thomas and Mina are buried behind their beloved home,
Glenmont.
Glenmont represents so much more than just a house.
Walking through the home and learning the stories of the Edison's
one gains a better understanding of the Edison family.
Enjoy Glenmont.
We hope it speaks to you,