City Of Lakeland issued the following announcement on Apr. 08.
Lakeland History & Culture Center: The Kathleen Community
In 1886, a community in the northern edge Polk County applied for a post office under the name – Polish. This had previously been enumerated in the U.S. Census in 1880. By the following census, the area is became known as Kathleen. The origin of the name Kathleen derives from two stories. One of the first settlers to the area, Henry Prine, arrived in 1858. When the railroad arrived, he donated the land for the depot and named it Catherine for his wife. The Kathleen Depot was located at the end of Central Avenue where it dead ends into 1st Street adjacent to the rail line that is still present. A nearby county already had a similar town name, so the community changed it to Kathleen. The second name story emerges from when the president of the newly opened railroad, J.E. Ingraham toured the area with his daughter, Kathleen. The area postmaster declared that the unnamed station should be christened in honor of her and hence the entire community came to be called Kathleen.
With fertile soil and open spaces, the Kathleen area became a dominant contributor to the area’s agriculture and cattle markets. The depot became a central hub for local farmers to deliver their produce to competitive markets. The economic structure grew, so in 1914 the city of Kathleen was incorporated. It remained a city until its disincorporation in 1929 due to the economic depression.
The Kathleen area is comprised of eight smaller communities - Galloway, Gibsonia, Griffin, Kathleen, Winston, Green Pond, Providence and Socrum. The Kathleen Area Historical Society, founded in 1991, continues to explore the people, places and events of the community.
Learn more about the Lakeland History & Culture Center coming soon to the Lakeland Public Library at LakelandGov.net/CultureCenter!
Original source can be found here.
Source: City Of Lakeland
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