Indigenous peoples of the Americas had been living in the area since around 100 CE; Hawthorne grew around their trading trails.

[20] During the 1840s, a mill was constructed on Little Orange Creek, 1.5 miles (2.4 km) east of the center of present-day Hawthorne.

The Pleasant Grove Baptist Church was founded at this time, and a post office opened at the mill in 1854.

[21] Track was first laid by the Peninsula Railroad in Hawthorne in 1879 for a north–south line intended to connect Waldo and Ocala.

Near the same time, track laid by the Florida Southern Railroad reached Hawthorne; its east–west line was intended to connect Palatka and Gainesville.

[5][6][7][21] Florida Southern began selling land granted to it by the state almost a decade after the railroads were built, including land in Hawthorne described as "in the heart of a famous vegetable region ... large public school, churches, stores, hotels, three cotton gins, wagon repair shop.

Sportsmen could stay at William Shepard Moore's hotel; he served breakfast early and had hunting dogs, guides, and horses available.

[26] During the 1880s many orange groves were planted in the Hawthorne area,[26] but after the 1894 Great Freeze ruined citrus trees, growers switched to vegetables; the area became known for Sea Island cotton (Pima cotton) around the turn of the 20th century although it had been grown there since at least the early 1880s.

[27][28] The boll weevil halted the cotton trade, however, and Hawthorne diversified into brickmaking, other agriculture, turpentine production, and railroad work.

The Florida state railroad commission declared that the depots were inadequate to accommodate the "traveling public", and required the rail companies to build a segregated union passenger station in Hawthorne by November 1912.

[31] The city experienced a boom during the 1920s; by late in the decade, Hawthorne had a bank, high school, ice and electric plants, a Western Union, a Railway Express Agency, and a telephone exchange.

[32] Although the city suffered during the Great Depression, daily rail service continued; Highway 20 was paved, and a bridge was built over the railroad tracks.

[38] The pulpwood industry began when National Container (a box company later purchased by Owens-Illinois)[39] bought 15,000 acres (6,100 ha) in the area.

As automobiles became the dominant means of transportation, passenger trains and buses stopped serving the city.

The area's rural lifestyle became appreciated during the 1980s, although local jobs still existed at sand mines, chicken ranches, and plywood mills.

[a] The city of Hawthorne annexed approximately 1,300 acres owned by Plum Creek Land Company in 2015.

[55] Hawthorne obtained 3,000 acres (1,200 ha) surrounding Little Orange Creek (where a historic mill operated) in 2011.

North of State Road 20 are 2,800 acres (1,100 ha) which are "preserved as a conservation area for local plants and wildlife".

The park (on Johnson Lake) has a boat ramp, fishing pier, playground, and picnic facilities.

[59] Lochloosa Wildlife Management Area provides opportunities for hiking, bicycling, horseback riding, hunting, fishing, canoeing, and boating.

[64] In 2018, the city opened a wellness center adjacent to Hawthorne Athletic Park; most of the gym members are senior citizens.

[71] The trail runs through conservation areas in Alachua County that features wetlands, upland hammocks, and pine flatwoods,[31] and can be used for walking, cycling, and (in parts) horseback riding.

[72] It was created through the Rails-to-Trails program, which converted the abandoned railroad between Hawthorne and Gainesville to a recreational trail.

[73] The Department of Public Works provides solid-waste pickup (including recyclable items), potable water, and a sewer system with wastewater services.

The station (number 25) houses a fire engine, rescue ambulance, brush truck, and tanker.

[85] Television stations available over the air in Hawthorne are WUFT PBS, WOGX Fox, WCJB-TV ABC, WGFL CBS, and WYME-CD MeTV.

[87] The Gainesville Sun, The Independent Florida Alligator, and Alachua County Today are local newspapers.