# Thomas Edison's front gate **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 25, 2002, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thomas-edisons-front-gate/120679 "2002-07-25T01:37:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Aceospades](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/848f3c/32.png) [@Aceospades](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aceospades)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2002, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thomas-edisons-front-gate/120679/1 "2002-07-25T01:37:59Z")
My friend told me that Thomas Edison had a gate to his property that was very difficult to open because the gate was set up to pump a gallon of water from his well to his house. Is this true? ---
**Author:** ![Aceospades](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/848f3c/32.png) [@Aceospades](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aceospades)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2002, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thomas-edisons-front-gate/120679/2 "2002-07-28T15:37:15Z")
does anyone know anything about this??? ---
**Author:** ![Sofa\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/58956e/32.png) [@Sofa\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sofa_King)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2002, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thomas-edisons-front-gate/120679/3 "2002-07-28T15:59:35Z")
I heard a similar story once, so you’re not the only tree falling in the forest. ---
**Author:** ![Doublemint](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5ac83/32.png) [@Doublemint](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doublemint)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2002, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thomas-edisons-front-gate/120679/4 "2002-07-28T17:55:35Z")
Maybe these guys can help you [http://www.nps.gov/edis/](http://www.nps.gov/edis/) ---
**Author:** ![Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/50afbb/32.png) [@Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duck_Duck_Goose)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2002, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thomas-edisons-front-gate/120679/5 "2002-07-28T18:37:43Z")
Eh, not that I can see. Way TMI. Give us a hint? Ace, we’re not ignoring you, I think you just stumped the panel. Not everything’s on the Internet. I did look around on Google when you first posted this (Wednesday night?), but nothing came up. I think we’re talking “serious library book-type research” here. Is there money riding on this? ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2002, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thomas-edisons-front-gate/120679/6 "2002-07-28T18:55:35Z")
I just sent an e-mail to the site that \*_Doublemint_ gave. Supposedly they will search for the answer to questions unless they take more than one hour. If anyone should know, they oughta. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2002, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thomas-edisons-front-gate/120679/7 "2002-07-30T22:49:21Z")
Got a prompt response from the archive at Edison’s home/lab in NJ. The answer is “no” as far as they know. > [@](#): > > Dear Mr. Clements,As far as we know, there is no truth to this story. Edison did not have this device at either his West Orange lab or nearby home, Glenmont. Nor have I ever heard of this at his Menlo Park lab. I am less certain about his winter home in Fort Myers, Florida, but you might want to contact them to verify. The winter home is run as a museum by the city of Fort Myers.Sincerely, > > Leonard DeGraaf > Archivist > Edison National Historic Site > National Park Service ---
**Author:** ![Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/50afbb/32.png) [@Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duck_Duck_Goose)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2002, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thomas-edisons-front-gate/120679/8 "2002-07-30T22:53:22Z")
WTG, Sam! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2002, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thomas-edisons-front-gate/120679/9 "2002-07-31T19:29:30Z")
I’ve heard the story as well, but about Thomas _Jefferson_, not Edison. Alas, I was also unable to find anything on Google. Very odd, I would think. Even if this is just an urban legend, one can usually at least find re-tellings of such on the Web. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2002, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thomas-edisons-front-gate/120679/10 "2002-08-25T14:39:02Z")
And just got a reply from Edison’s winter home in Fl. They said they know nothing about it but > [@](#): > > If you find out more about this device, please email us back at my address below. I’d love to add this to our Guide’s script. I then lectured her on how much mis-information is contained in “Guide’s scripts” at historic sites. Well, I’m off to e-mail Monticello, per **Chronos’** suggestion about Jefferson. ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2002, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thomas-edisons-front-gate/120679/11 "2002-08-25T14:50:24Z")
Ok people, let’s get real here. Someone please calculate the effective amount of excedent work which can be done by someone pushing on a gate and apply that to pumping water from a reasonable depth and see how much water you get after opening the gate a reasonable number of times per day. My guess is that it is so ridiculously small that it is not worth the trouble or the investment. I have seen water pumped by hand and it takes a lot of work to pump water. The gate pump sounds like a fanciful UL to me. ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2002, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thomas-edisons-front-gate/120679/12 "2002-08-25T14:53:36Z")
As another postscript, I believe I have heard the story FROM a guide, presumably following their script. IIRC, it would be the guide at Henry Ford Museum & Greenfield Village, where a replica of Edison’s Menlo Park laboratory resides.