In 1876, Thomas Edison, by now famed for his improvements on the stock ticker and telegraph, purchased land in Menlo Park, NJ and built a special complex, the first research and development facility in the world. There he set about improving the telephone and other products. His first major success was with the development of the phonograph a year later, recording "Mary Had a Little Lamb". With that Edison became known as the "Wizard of Menlo Park", tourists flooded to the site, and with the increased funding Edison expanded his facilities to include a machine shop, library and personal office. In 1879, Edison was able to improve on the incandescent lightbulb, his most famous work, allowing light to shine for 40 straight hours. Further improvements to the bulb, and the innovations of an underground electric system, electric trains, and a centralized generator brought fame and fortune. Some 400 patents were eventually filed from Menlo Park.
In 1880 Edison moved his lab to a larger site in New York City. The Menlo Park site fell into other uses, eventually all decaying or burning down by 1919. In the 1920s, Edison's good friend Henry Ford decided to build a replica of Edison's Lab at Ford's Greenfield Village, salvaging what was left of the remains. Edison upon visiting after construction was said to have remarked that the only thing missing was the dust.
Greenfield Village, Dearborn, Michigan
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