The Thomas Alva Edison Birthplace, located in Milan, Ohio, is a modest, one-and-a-half-story red brick cottage that stands as a monument to one of the world's most prolific inventors. Built in 1841 by Edison's father, Samuel Edison, Jr., the home is a simple representation of Greek Revival architecture, common to the canal-era Midwest. It was in this humble dwelling on February 11, 1847, that Thomas Alva Edison was born. Although the family relocated to Port Huron, Michigan, in 1854 when Edison was only seven years old, his formative early childhood years in Milan laid the foundation for his lifelong curiosity and industrious spirit.

Purchased back by the family in 1894 by Edison's sister, Marion Edison Page, and later meticulously restored by his wife, Mina Miller Edison, and daughter, Madeleine Edison Sloane, the birthplace opened to the public as a museum in 1947 to commemorate the centennial of the inventor's birth. The home remains a premier historic site containing original family furnishings, early inventions, and personal memorabilia that document Edison's extraordinary life and technological achievements. Recognized for its exceptional national significance, the property was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1965 and was formally listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1966.