- Inside the Homes Tours – Thursdays at 10:30 a.m. – Enjoy the Cooler Morning Weather
The Inside the Homes Tours are one of our best programs, and they are offered weekly or with a special appointment for groups of 10 or more. The tour provides a personal experience, featuring time with Curators inside areas normally not accessible. You will be “up close and personal” with objects that can be a mystery – here is one:
If you are not sure what this artifact might be used for, you are not alone! Here’s a hint: the separate short stick on top of the artifact is a “striker.” Here’s another hint: think “xylophone.” Here’s the last hint: It sits in the dining room of the Edison Guest House at the right hand of the head person at the table. OK, the is the final hint: Think NBC. The answer is at the bottom of the page – or better yet, join us for an Inside the Homes Tour to unravel more mysteries!
- Inside the LabTours – Tuesdays at 10:30 a.m.
This detailed tour of the Edison Botanic Research Corporation Laboratory includes examining some very original and “quirky” inventions – some of them even fashioned by Edison himself. It also features pieces of equipment used in a variety of laboratory processes, including the one shown at right, used in a process patented by Edison in the final years of his life.
If you are not sure what this object might be, think of the coffee grinder of your grandparents – or great grandparents. Here’s another hint: It is located in a separate room inside the Laboratory; along with a number of other pieces of equipment used for the same purpose. Each apparatus in this area, including a hydraulic press and a meat grinder, is connected by a belt to a line shaft, in turn connecting to a motor which powers the devices. See answers below – and make plans to join us for a tour inside the award-winning, fully restored, Edison Botanic Research Corporation Laboratory, a National Historic Chemical Landmark.
- Answers:
Object 1: Dinner Chimes, used to call family and friends to the dining room. Also used in the railroad to call passengers to dinner.
Object 2: Ball Mill Grinder, used in Edison’s 1,090th patent – for grinding plant material in rubber research.