Est. 1820 · Oldest cemetery in northern Santa Rosa County · Jay Historical Society restoration project
Coon Hill Cemetery lies more than two miles from the nearest paved road, in the rural pinewoods of northern Santa Rosa County, Florida. The earliest documented burials date to 1820, and the cemetery is recognized as the oldest in the northern part of the county. A low brick wall surrounds the site, an unusual feature for a rural Florida pioneer cemetery.
The Jay Historical Society has compiled a detailed history of the cemetery and the families buried there as part of a restoration project. Vandalism over the past two decades damaged roughly 150 headstones and slabs, and the historical society has worked to stabilize, document, and repair the remaining markers.
In response to repeated trespassing and vandalism, the access road has been gated. Current access is limited to foot travel during daylight hours, requiring a quarter-mile walk-in from the gate to the cemetery.
Sources
- http://www.jayhistoricalsociety.org/pioneerstories/coon_hill_cemetery.pdf
- https://weartv.com/news/local/oldest-santa-rosa-county-cemetery-rumored-to-be-haunted
- https://trippingonlegends.com/2021/05/09/the-humpty-dumpty-haunting-of-coon-hill/
Touching/pushingEVPBattery drainEquipment malfunctionPhantom voicesDisembodied screamingApparitionsOrbs
The single most repeated story at Coon Hill Cemetery involves the wide brick perimeter wall, which is broad enough for a person to stand on. Visitors over decades have reported being pushed off the wall by what they describe as unseen hands. Some accounts note muddy hand-shaped marks on the visitors' clothing afterward.
A second recurring report involves a low ground fog appearing in the cemetery on certain nights, accompanied by what visitors describe as the singing voice of a child. The local WEAR-TV report on the cemetery references the distinct sound of a woman screaming echoing through the surrounding woods on a regular basis, alongside disembodied voices and apparent figures appearing in photographs.
The Pensacola Paranormal Society and other regional groups have visited the cemetery and recorded electronic voice phenomena there. Investigators have reported batteries draining quickly inside the cemetery walls and equipment malfunctioning despite working normally outside the perimeter. A 2005 update from one investigator described arriving with full batteries, finding all of them depleted upon entering the cemetery, and capturing one photograph paired with a clear EVP they identified as the voice of a girl.
The historical society and local sheriff have asked the public to respect access restrictions and approach the site only in daylight by appointment.
