Mansion

Burroughs House in FT. Myers, FL was one of the first homes built on Millionaires Row, as the once rustic area became known in the late 1800’s. Burroughs was a cattleman and used this as his winter home. At the time the railroad ended in Punta Gorda so supplies for the home were brought the remainder of the trip by boat. Cattle were raised here and traded with Cuba during those days.

Lois was our tour guide and she was full of fun facts. As we entered the home there was a staircase with a bench at the bottom with a small shelf. Lois informed us the bench and shelf were located strategically so that the girls could have the gentleman’s calling card brought up to them and look down to see their intended suitor prior to descending the stairs to meet him. 

At the bottom of the stairway there stood a table that had a mirror above it for checking the hair and a mirror below the table for checking to be sure the slip was not showing!

Lois also educated us on the saying, ‘Put a sock in it.’ The victrola volume was adjusted by changing the cone size and that took time. When the volume needed to be turned down for a short time, the ladies often sat by the victrola and mended socks, they would put a couple of socks in the cone and muffle or turn the volume down! 

The Langford family also lived on Millionaires Row along with the Fords, Firestone’s, and others. Although these folks were wealthy they were also thrifty which aided their quest for inventing. In the 1920s, Henry Ford and Langford developed a process for using wood scraps from his Model T's, which were made of wood, into briquettes, charcoal.

These folks were also friends with the Edisons so they had to be sure the electrical items in their homes were his inventions!

The word Immokalee was above the front door of the Burroughs home and means “my home” in the Seminole language.

The Uncommon Friends Foundation now supports the home. The Uncommon Friends were: Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, Harvey Firestone, Dr. Alexis Carrel, and Charles Lindbergh. They met by chance and the rest is history. Today the Murphy-Burroughs Home is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Mr. Murphy’s house was the first showplace home in Fort Myers.

Across the street on Millionaires Row.