thomas edison birthplace

Who knew Thomas Edison had his hands on so much our history! I also never knew he was deaf. Great tour and the ladies that run the place are great!!

Nerds and history buffs can get a fix with the investment of an hour's drive out of Cleveland. In the picturesque, quaint village of Milan (pronounced "MY-lin") is the birthplace and childhood home of Thomas Edison, inventor of the phonograph, commercial light bulb and thousands of other things for which he either held a patent or were morphed into what we use every day. Inside the three-story brick house are photographs, mementos, furniture and housewares either original to the house or representative of the so-called "Age of Innovation" that began with Edison's birth on Feb. 11, 1847. The tour ($7 for adults) starts at the house next door, and there visitors will hear Edison's recordings on original phonographs and see a model of The Black Maria, "the world's first movie studio." The most surprising tidbit of information learned on a recent visit was that Edison, Ohio's Favorite Son who gave us the record player, isn't in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. His contribution to the industry is acknowledged in an exhibit, but he has yet to be enshrined a mere 60 miles to the east.

Thank you so much for hosting a Birthday Party for Thomas Edison. What a great field trip for on-line students. The tour guide was entertaining and informative. My granddaughter's most impressive bit of information was how the horsehair covered sofa was terrible to sit on because the hairs would poke you...LOL. No we didn't get to try it out, but the guide's assertion was remembered without the "hand's on" experience.

Visiting Thomas Edison's birthplace is great for all ages, Also in Milan is the Milan Historical Museum with seven buildings to visit, my Dad loved the blacksmith shop as he would point out things that he used while growing up and as a farmer. I enjoyed seeing the dolls, the general store and gift shop and of course the glassware. About 20 minutes from Cedar Point, a great few days to take a family.

My husband and I went there last year and it was very fascinating! It was cheap too. The woman who gave us the tour was very nice.

As a party of 4 we visited the museum on a very nice fall afternoon and were pleasantly surprised. Our volunteer tour guide was a real treat. She delivered a wealth of formation about the house and Thomas Edison as perhaps a stand up comedian would, loud and fast. It is amazing how little the average person knows about the most prolific American inventor, over 1300 patents. If near Milan, Ohio and looking to spend a couple of hours in history this is well worth the visit.

This tour is guided by volunteers and they do a very impressive job. They are walking encyclopedias. Our guy carried a cane but he still navigated the stairs up and down with the rest of us. The collection of artifacts and examples of Edison's scientific discoveries are a real attention grabber. The biggest message for us was that Thomas Edison's work went far beyond the light bulb. His inventions touch every part of modern life today. The other interesting point was that inventors back then tended to hang around together, generally socialize together. Which makes a lot of sense when you think about it. Other eccentric inventors were probably the only ones who could understand them and get along with them.If you are in the Milan area, try to make the effort to drop by at this museum. The volunteers do an impressive job. You will learn about the work someone did, not that many years ago, to change the world that we know today.

The area is historic and interesting. There is a tour available for the several historic buildings on the green as well as a tour of Thos. Edison's birthplace. It should be noted that although the family moved to Michigan when he was 7, this home has in some way always been in the family since his older sister, who lived on a nearby farm, bought and moved back into the house. Thos. Edison had been back here as an adult. Henry Ford wanted to move this house to his Greenfield Village as he did with other Thos. Edison landmarks. We had a mature tour guide and he was delightfully thorough with the facts of the house and that of Thomas Edison and every member of Thomas' family as well as every item in the house. There are impressive inventions of Thomas' on display in the house and in the office next door where the inexpensive tickets for the tour are purchased. The steps are steep going up to the bedrooms and down to the kitchen - but if the steps pose a problem, you still get your money's worth by visiting the main floor of the birthplace. Each room held something of interest and is decorated for the era of the Edisons' lives there. There has been a cooling system installed so the temperatures inside the house was comfortable for a summer afternoon. Don't miss the garden in the lovely back yard that once led to the canal that was once there - which was the reason that brought the Edison family to Milan. Great for local history for those who live in the area and wonderful for a piece of history who are in the area visiting the many attractions nearby. The gift shop has a nice assortments of items from inexpensive to collector's items. The lady in the office / gift shop was very pleasant and very knowledgeable on the life of Thomas Edison. This place is a gem.

We've lived in the area for four years and finally got around to visiting. I'm a science lover but my wife is not, she thoroughly enjoyed the history and stories even so. It is a relatively short tour, but full of good accurate historical information about the Edison family and Milan too. There are a few of Edison's many inventions on display, some of which still work and are demonstrated. The tour guide was excellent, fun and very informative. A very well ran and kept museum.

I was in the area visiting Cedar Point Amusement park when I saw a sign for the house. It was very interesting and informative. Very glad I was able to visit while I was there.

Yes you read that right, a historical place that was very entertaining thanks to the tour guide. We decided to make this a stop off between sandusky and PA after we saw some flyers for it. The town is scenic and very quaint. After finding the place we went into the adjacent building where one has to buy tickets and start the tour. The price is modest for the tour, for two adults and a child under 5 was $14. The real fun started with the tour of the actual Edison house. The tour guide who actually lived in the house behind the property was very lively and entertaining, she also really knew her stuff and had a passion for history. I would recommend this to anyone who wants to learn more about Thomas Edison or American history in general but leave kids younger than 5 at home, they lose interest quickly.

I took my daughter who had just got done reading the book. It is only 10 minutes from Sandusky but overlooked due to the bigger attractions in the area. We'll worth the hour and brought the history to life for my daughter.

After an unexpectedly great visit to nearby Fremont, we stopped here. The drive between the Hayes presidential site and the Edison home is scenic. The Edison house and shop are tiny but still worth visiting. The tour guide was informative. The garden is lovely. Read all of the historic markers. Take a look around historic Milan while you're there, particularly the library building in the town square.

This is a wonderful place to visit especially the flower garden in the backyard. We were not able to go inside the building because it had closed for the day. Milan has an interesting history with its canal system which onced linked it to Lake Erie. It is located about 15 miles south of Sandusky and has many small shops on the town square. Recommend checking times on when the Edison Birthplace is open but the flower garden is well worth the trip.

The museum itself is quite small, but there are actually a number of authentic family artifacts and it has been very nicely restored. The garden was lovely while we were there. What made this especially interesting for us was our guide, Cindi, who was very knowledgeable, clearly enthusiastic about her subject, and able to answer all of our questions. We learned a lot about Edison [including a couple of his many inventions that were new to us, like the first talking doll -- there's a story!], home life in the early 1800s in this small town, and the background of the museum. With museums such as this, the guide's knowledge and interest can make all the difference for the visitor. You start your tour in a little gift shop, with a couple of Edison exhibits, and get to hear an old phonograph play. Note: houses of this era were not accessible. Stairs are steep and there are 2 flights. Also, check hours of operation after Labor Day. Website: www.tomedison.org