In 1912, Owen Burns – Sarasota’s first and most prolific builder – was 43 years old, single, and ready to settle down. Enter the young and beautiful Vernona Freeman, who came to Sarasota with her relatives for a vacation in March.
The Sarasota Times, always mindful of reporting on newcomers, wrote that Mr. Leonard L. Hill, “a well- known capitalist and Mrs. Hill a prominent society leader of New York City were guests of Mr. Owen Burns.”
The entourage was accommodated at Burns Villa, formerly the Halton Sanitarium/Hotel, which lodged both Bertha Palmer and Burns when each arrived in Sarasota in 1910.
The lovely Vernona was described as “one of New York’s most charming debutantes and a favorite among Sarasota’s younger set.”