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Women's History Month; Founder of the Clara White Mission, Eartha White

Eartha Mary Magdalene founded the Clara White Mission on West Ashley Street in 1904. She named it after her mother who was a former slave.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Chances are, you won't see her name plastered outside of a building or in most history books, but she made an impact on Jacksonville.

Her name was Eartha Mary Magdalene and she founded the Clara White Mission on West Ashley Street in 1904. She named it after her mother who was a former slave.

A Jacksonville native, Eartha went to the Stanton School and graduated in 1893. She dedicated her time and efforts to humanitarian work. 

White started an orphanage, a senior living facility, a minor league baseball team, a park, owned a laundromat and turned it into a training facility. She ran the National Business League in Jacksonville, started a tuberculosis hospital and was one of the founding members of the Jacksonville Humane Society and the Jacksonville Historical Society. 

If there was a need in the city to be met, White found a solution.

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