The Coon Hill Day 5K Trail 5K Event to Benefit 183-year-old Coon Hill Cemetery will begin at 7:30 a.m., this Saturday, April 13th.
Registration the day of the race is $25 and the proceeds used to maintain this historic cemetery.
The pioneering settlement in the 1800s named Coon Hill was chosen by a vote over the name Opossum Hill. This was the first town in the area now known as north.
At the turn of the century, many folks moved away from the saw mills on the creeks of the Escambia River and the once busy Coon Hill settlement began to disappear.
All that remains of the Coon Hill Community is the cemetery. Buried in the cemetery are: three Postmasters, two Florida Senators, a State Representative, two Santa Rosa County Tax Assessors, two Circuit Riding Preachers, and 16 Civil War Veterans.
The oldest marker is dated 1836. There were many early grave markers made of Heart Pine Boards.
For more information, contact Matt Dobson for more information by emailing him at [email protected] or text/call: 850-217-2603.
