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Edison National Historic SiteThomas Edison sitting on the lawn of Glenmont.
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Edison National Historic Site
The Recording Archives

The archive at Edison National Historic Site includes approximately 48,000 disc and cylinder records produced by Edison in West Orange, New Jersey, between 1888 and 1929. Many of these, including unreleased and experimental recordings, have been at the Laboratory since Edison's lifetime. Some of the earliest examples of recorded sound in existence are preserved within this unique collection.

The subject matter of the recordings is mostly music, covering genres popular in the United States during Edison's era. Spoken word recordings include vaudeville comedy sketches, documentary speeches, educational lessons, and motion picture dialogue soundtracks. Experimental recordings document research carried out at the Edison Laboratory to develop recorded sound technology.

We have compiled a selection of sound files in the MP3 format from the archive and arranged them by genre.

 
The graves of Thomas and Mina Edison.  

Did You Know?
Thomas Edison passed away in 1931 and his wife Mina passed in 1947. They were buried at Rosedale Cemetery. In 1963, the family had Thomas and Mina re-buried at the home they loved and where they spent their 44 years together - Glenmont.

Last Updated: October 08, 2008 at 19:53 EST