Edison Museum

The Edison Museum, a science and history museum about the life and inventions of Thomas Edison, is located in Beaumont, Texas at 350 Pine St. on the grounds of Edison Plaza.

Edison Museum
Edison Museum
Edison Museum's location in Texas
Edison Museum (the United States)
Established1982 (1982)
Location350 Pine Street, Beaumont, Texas 77701
Coordinates30°05′08.3″N 94°05′48″W
TypeScience, Technology, and History
Collection sizeover 1,400 artifacts dedicated to Thomas Alva Edison
OwnerEdison Museum, a non-profit education foundation
Public transit accessBMTS
Route #6 (Refinery)
Route #7 (South Park)
Route #8 (Pear Orchard)
Nearest parkingFree, adjacent to museum
WebsiteMuseum website

Building

The museum building was formerly the Gulf States Utilities Travis Street Power Substation. The power substation came on line in 1929.[1] According to the Texas State Historical Marker in front of the substation building, the substation provided power ranging from street lights to cotton gins to rice irrigation to refineries in spite of The Great Depression.[2]

Museum

"...The museum is the only facility of its kind west of the Mississippi River..."[3] Interactive exhibits about Edison, his inventions and innovations, as well as historic artifacts from his life are featured. Featured inventions include the incandescent light bulb, the phonograph, and some of Edison's early motion pictures.[4] There is also a reference library about Edison. The collection origin is tied to W. Donham Crawford, former CEO of Gulf States Utilities. Crawford was an avid collector of Edison artifacts. The collection was bequeathed to the museum in the early 1980s by Crawford's widow.[5]

The museum is part of a concentration of several museums in the downtown Beaumont area. It is located blocks away from the Tyrrell Historical Library, the Art Museum of Southeast Texas, the Beaumont Children's Museum (temporarily located in the Beaumont Civic Center), and the Fire Museum of Texas.

See also
  1. "Travis Street Substation - Gulf States Utilities Company". edisonmuseum.americommerce.com. Edison Museum. Retrieved November 1, 2015.
  2. "Travis Street Substation". Stopping Points.com. Retrieved November 2, 2015.
  3. "Edison Museum". edisonmuseum/americommerce.com. Edison Museum. Retrieved November 1, 2015.
  4. "edison museum". beaumontcvb.com. Beaumont Convention and Visitors Bureau. Retrieved November 1, 2015.
  5. "Lessons from Edison". texashighways.com. Texas Department of Transportation. Retrieved November 2, 2015.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.