The Menlo Park Laboratory Tablet and Memorial

Tablet

This monument was a gift from the State of New Jersey to honor one of its most famous adopted sons, Thomas Alva Edison.

On May 16, 1925, John Leib, vice president of the New York Edison Company, formally dedicated the Tablet. Among the guests attending the ceremony were Thomas Edison, Mina Edison (the inventor's second wife), Governor George S. Silzer, Dr John G. Hibben (president of Princeton University), Edwin W. Rice (chairman of the board, General Electric), and Samuel Insull (president of Commonwealth Edison Company of Chicago).

Boy Scouts led the procession to the Tablet, followed by Mr Lieb, the Edisons, Governor Silzer, Mr Insull, Dr Hibben, and Mr Rice. Before the assembled dignitaries and guests, Mrs Edison unveiled the great granite stone bearing a bronze plaque. She then recited her own brief, heartfelt dedication to her husband and those who worked for him at Menlo Park.

The program ended with a tour of the Menlo Park Laboratory site, which had been largely reclaimed by nature. By then, the remarkably productive laboratory was already a field with only a few foundations visible above the soil. Although the buildings were gone, it is reported that Thomas Edison enjoyed the tour, saying that his greatest triumphs were in Menlo Park.

Today the monument can be seen at the corner of Christie Street and Route 27 (Lincoln Highway), near the Metropark railroad station. We encourage you to stop by and read the Tablet, and share in the unique history of our area.

For a larger picture of the Tablet, click here.