Simmons 3 House

Simmons 3 House. circa 1915. Thomas Jefferson Woods, born in 1896, was the son of Francis Jackson Woods and Emma Matilda Savage. In 1927 he and his wife, Katie, were living in a palmetto-thatched lean-to, struggling to complete the house in time for the birth of their first child, Nellie. The house originally had three rooms, a large front room and two bedrooms with porches on three sides. Later they enclosed areas of the porch to make bedrooms. They removed the walls between the original bedrooms to make a large kitchen-dining room., Pioneers of Fort Christmas depended heavily on the wild game of the woods and fish in the rivers and creeks. Like most men in the area Tom learned to hunt and trap as a youngster. He was able to use these skills to provide for his family by selling the hides of alligator, raccoon, opossum and otter, which were popular for making luggage, shoes, coats and handbags. He also hired out as a guide, taking town folks on hunting and fishing trips along the St. Johns River. He worked for tips and always received a share of the game for his own table. This house has an exhibit of fine photographs and artifacts reflecting the hunting, fishing and trapping of Fort Christmas pioneer life.