Samuel Edison built the birthplace in 1841, a typical middle-class dwelling for the era. The two-story brick house has seven rooms and sits on a hillside with views over the Huron River valley. Thomas was born in the first-floor bedroom, the seventh and last child of Samuel and Nancy Edison. The family lived comfortably - Samuel ran various businesses - but not lavishly. Young Thomas showed curiosity and energy that would define his life; stories describe him asking questions constantly and conducting simple experiments. In 1854, when the Milan Canal that had made the town prosperous was bypassed by railroads, the family moved to Port Huron, Michigan. The house changed hands but survived.

Edison's birthplace became a shrine during his lifetime. In 1894, Edison's sister Marion and her husband purchased the house and began preserving it. After Marion's death in 1900, her daughter Leah inherited the property and continued its maintenance. Thomas Edison himself visited in 1923, his first return in 70 years. He was surprised by how small it seemed. In 1947, the centennial of Edison's birth, the Edison Birthplace Association formed to preserve the house permanently. The association has maintained the museum since, collecting Edison family artifacts and interpreting the inventor's origins for visitors.

The museum contains Edison family furniture including the bed where Thomas was born, Nancy Edison's sewing basket, and Samuel Edison's tools. Original Edison inventions on display include early phonographs, incandescent light bulbs from different eras, and motion picture equipment. Family photographs trace Edison from childhood through his years of invention. The collection helps visitors understand Edison not just as an icon but as a person with a specific upbringing - the curious boy from rural Ohio who would become the most prolific inventor in American history. The small scale of the house underscores that genius can emerge from modest circumstances.

Thomas Edison's impact is difficult to overstate. He held 1,093 U.S. patents - more than any other individual in history. His inventions include the phonograph (the first device to record and play sound), practical incandescent lighting (which made electric light commercially viable), the kinetoscope (an early motion picture device), and countless improvements to telegraphy, telephony, and electrical distribution. Edison's 'invention factory' at Menlo Park pioneered industrial research - teams of specialists systematically developing new products. He didn't invent everything credited to him (the myth exceeds the reality), but his genuine accomplishments changed how humans live. All of it started with a curious boy in this Ohio house.

The Thomas Edison Birthplace Museum is located at 9 Edison Drive in Milan, Ohio. The museum is open for tours Tuesday through Sunday from February through November; weekend-only hours in winter. Admission is charged. Guided tours of the house are offered regularly. The town of Milan also features historic downtown buildings and the Milan Historical Museum. Edison's later inventions are exhibited at the Edison and Ford Winter Estates in Fort Myers, Florida, and the Thomas Edison National Historical Park in West Orange, New Jersey. Milan is located 10 miles south of Sandusky and Cedar Point. Cleveland is 60 miles east. Cleveland Hopkins International Airport provides commercial service.