Tuesday, March 13, 2018

Miss Winifred HODGSON of South Orange County




I didn’t know Miss Winifred HODGSON existed, let alone deserving of her very own tribute in this Women’s History Month celebration, until a month or two ago. I literally stumbled upon the brave young lady of 19th century central Florida while preparing for a presentation at South Creek Library. In 1890, W. A. HODGEON had been identified as owning over a thousand acres west of the present day Ghost Town of #Mackinnon. I determined to locate this #cflParadise pioneer, mainly because today, thousands enjoy riding a sleek monorail daily across a portion of that pioneer’s land.

HODGEON, I found, was meant to be HODGSON, and initials W A stood for Winifred Anne, one remarkable Irish gal who, at age 19, had crossed the Atlantic, traveling only with her mother, arriving at New York on the 23rd of August, 1886. Within three years, Winifred Anne Hodgson accumulated in excess of 1,300 acres.

Winifred Hodgson’s Orange County story will also be an integral part of a FREE March 18th presentation at Orange County’s SOUTH CREEK branch library. (This presentation is different from the Orlando Reeves March 25th downtown library presentation.

Plan to attend this FREE Presentation
BEYOND GATLIN: A History of South Orange County
Orange County Public Library Presentation
Sunday, March 18, 2018 at 2 PM

Visit Facebook Event Page

Born March 6, 1865 at Clonygowan, Ireland, Winifred’s family relocated to the outskirts of London, England, placing the Hodgson’s in close proximity to the headquarters of Florida Land & Colonization Company, the origin of an English Colony’s fascination with central Florida.

By age 24, Winifred A. Hodgson had sailed the Atlantic, dabbled in Florida landownership, and appeared ready to participate in opening South Orange County to development. She wasn’t alone in her planning, but she was the only female ready to take on the task of town building.

Tomorrow: Mary PITTS of Fort Reid’s Orange House Hotel

No comments:

Post a Comment