Jackson County, Florida
Jackson County, Florida
History, Genealogy, Historic Sites, Points of Interest, Caves, Historic Homes,
Cemeteries, News, Events, Weather & More!
Cemeteries, News, Events, Weather & More!
Owens Cemetery
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Owens Cemetery is Historic
Landmark of Parramore Area
Landmark of Parramore Area
by Dale Cox
Parramore - In use long before the Civil War, the
Owens Cemetery is a landmark reminder of the
early history of eastern Jackson County.
Located atop of prehistoric Indian mound along
River Road (Highway 271) just south of its
intersection with Parramore Road, the cemetery
was established during the earliest settlement of
the area. The Owens family, which crossed the
Chattahoochee River from what is now Seminole
County, Georgia, established a farm at nearby
Owens Hill and eventually cleared the land around
the cemetery site.
As was the case throughout Jackson County, the
early settlers along the Chattahoochee River were
plagued by sickness and death. The floodplain
swamps along the river were a breeding ground
for the mosquitoes that carried malaria and yellow
fever. Impure water often led to cholera outbreaks
and a host of other sicknesses were common.
As a quiet and safe place to bury their dead, the
Owens and other neighboring families selected the
flat top of a low mound that rose above the flood
stage of the nearby river. Exactly when the first
burials took place is not known, but it was
decades before the Civil War. The oldest marked
graves date from the 1850s, but there are scores
of unmarked interments, identified by shallow
depressions in the ground.
The cemetery was well-established by the time the
Civil War erupted in 1861. Among the Confederate
veterans buried there is Whitman Owens, a
corporal in Company I, 5th Florida Cavalry. He
fought at the Battle of Marianna.
A detailed listing of the known graves at Owens
Cemetery is coming soon.
To learn more about the history of the Parramore
Area, please consider the book:
Parramore - In use long before the Civil War, the
Owens Cemetery is a landmark reminder of the
early history of eastern Jackson County.
Located atop of prehistoric Indian mound along
River Road (Highway 271) just south of its
intersection with Parramore Road, the cemetery
was established during the earliest settlement of
the area. The Owens family, which crossed the
Chattahoochee River from what is now Seminole
County, Georgia, established a farm at nearby
Owens Hill and eventually cleared the land around
the cemetery site.
As was the case throughout Jackson County, the
early settlers along the Chattahoochee River were
plagued by sickness and death. The floodplain
swamps along the river were a breeding ground
for the mosquitoes that carried malaria and yellow
fever. Impure water often led to cholera outbreaks
and a host of other sicknesses were common.
As a quiet and safe place to bury their dead, the
Owens and other neighboring families selected the
flat top of a low mound that rose above the flood
stage of the nearby river. Exactly when the first
burials took place is not known, but it was
decades before the Civil War. The oldest marked
graves date from the 1850s, but there are scores
of unmarked interments, identified by shallow
depressions in the ground.
The cemetery was well-established by the time the
Civil War erupted in 1861. Among the Confederate
veterans buried there is Whitman Owens, a
corporal in Company I, 5th Florida Cavalry. He
fought at the Battle of Marianna.
A detailed listing of the known graves at Owens
Cemetery is coming soon.
To learn more about the history of the Parramore
Area, please consider the book:
| Owens Cemetery is on River Road just south of its intersection with Parramore Road. |
| An ornamental iron fence surrounding one of the plots bears the Owens' family name. |
| Among the graves is that of Corp. Whitman Owens, Company I, 5th Florida Cavalry, C.S.A. |
It culminated the deepest
raid into Florida by
Union troops in the
entire Civil War...
raid into Florida by
Union troops in the
entire Civil War...