Mulholland Era 1904 - 1945
Mary Mulholland took possession of Sunny Point immediately after Charlotte White's passing in 1904. As she was in her 60s at the time, employment as a nurse was simply no longer an option. Being a single woman of limited means, she found it difficult to keep the estate intact. She began to sell off riverfront property for residential use and also opened the house to borders to help bring in much needed operational funds. She had stones erected at each entrance of the estate, with the words "Mulholland Park" cut into them - a title still used today for the greenspace in front of the house.
During her time at Sunny Point, Mary took on a young housekeeper named Taurina Rivero. Taurina and her younger sister Edelmira, of whom Mary became very fond, were originally from Cuba and had been orphaned a few years prior. Mary offered to adopt the younger girl, but Taurina refused. Eventually, when Taurina married, she offered the twelve-year-old Edelmira the option of leaving with her and her new husband, or staying with Mary Mulholland. Mary had promised to give Edelmira a proper college education and vowed she would be well taken care of. Edelmira chose to stay, and spent the rest of her childhood at Sunny Point. With Mary's help, she went on to college, and eventually became the head of the language department at Lee High School in Jacksonville, Florida.
After the outbreak of World War I, Mary became active in the Putnam Country Red Cross Chapter, serving as Vice Chairman in 1917 when the chapter was first organized. She allowed the Red Cross to use the east wing of her home as a work room, and she herself made service calls to the homes of soldiers. On October 4, 1935 Mary Mulholland died, and upon her passing Sunny Point was transferred to her beloved ward, Edelmira Rivero.
Edelmira, living in Jacksonville at the time of Mary's passing, was unable to utilize the house. She had the shutters of Sunny Point bolted shut - although she still offered the use of the house to the Red Cross during World War II. Unfortuantely, her former home became a financial burden. After ten years of ownership, Edelmira was forced to sell Sunny Point.