Square Dancing isn’t
usually the first thing that comes to mind when hearing the name Henry Ford,
but it is true that he was an accomplished caller.
When looking around
the living room of The Mangoes, Henry Ford’s
winter home in Fort Myers, Florida
it is easy to picture it with the furniture either pushed back against the
walls or put on the porch, the carpet rolled back, music playing on the
phonograph and couples creating the Texas Star or doing the do-si-do. Among the dancers might be neighbours Mr. and
Mrs. Thomas Edison and Mr. and
Mrs. Harvey Firestone.
The house, which was built in 1911, was
purchased by Ford in 1916. It has a
large shady porch with wickerwork furniture and plants – very typical of the
1920s in
In the living room most
of the armchairs and sofas are also wickerwork set about an open fireplace. It should be emphasised that the furniture
isn’t the original. When the Ford family
sold the property the furniture also went.
The house is now owned by the City of Fort Myers
The Fords travelled
widely and much of their furniture and other items were purchased during those
trips. In the dining room, for example,
there are walnut Queen Anne style chairs set about a table with a delicate lace
tablecloth laid with Sheffield silver and Wedgewood china in the Columbia Edison
phonograph to produce mechanical music, there is also a pretty piano which was
Clara Ford’s; she was an accomplished musician.
As Ford played the violin you can picture them entertaining the
neighbours and wonder which of them
was a singer.
The garden surrounding
the Ford house is filled with plants such as palm trees, over 150 citrus trees,
colourful flowers and a kitchen garden.
The garden is alongside the Caloosahatchee
River where Ford like to go fishing in his boat which was kept tied up
at the dock.
What is incredible is that the Fords only
spent a couple of weeks each winter in this beautiful house.
www.edisonfordwinterestates.org
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| Picnicking in style! |
