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
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