Having the largest concentration of historic structures still standing in Southwest Florida, Fort Myers is rich in history and charm. Walking our brick lined streets, history comes to life… you can feel the character and realness of our beautiful downtown.
Dating back to the mid 1800s, a military Fort sat on the banks of the Caloosahatchee River and served as a base of operations against the Seminole Indians. Although the Fort no longer stands, the City was named after Colonel Abraham Myers.
In the late 1800s Fort Myers was known as a cattle town; a dirt road ran through downtown and herds of cattle from North Florida traveled through to Punta Rassa (Sanibel); where they were placed on boats and sent to Cuba.
Soon our towns’ most famous resident made Fort Myers his winter residence… Thomas Edison spent more than 50 winters in Southwest Florida and conducted important botanical research in his laboratory and gardens. His home, gardens and botanic laboratory is located on the edge of downtown in the River District.
As more and more people discovered Fort Myers, hotels and shopping became a staple in our beautiful downtown. Today Fort Myers is a destination that was built by interesting characters with a great history to tell and share.
For more information on Fort Myers history consider taking a historic walking tour with downtown’s only walking tour company True Tours.More
Visit the Southwest Florida History Museum filled with artifacts and exhibits of early life in Fort Myers located at IMAG.More
Stroll the more than 20 acres of gardens at the Edison and Ford Winter Estates Home in Fort Myers, Florida.More
Visit the Southwest Florida Historical Society that has a large collection of historic papers and photographs.More
English
French
German
Spanish