04/15/2026
We love our history ❤️
ty WPHE
Towns that have completely disappeared into the forest.
Otahite PO 1880-1914
The area that was once Otahite is no longer visible. It has faded back into the Blackwater State Forest. Otahite was originally a Native American outpost along the heavily used Indian trails in northwest Florida. The Indians called it “Otahite,” meaning “damp place.” As white settlers began to move into the area, Otahite’s role in frontier history gained prominence. Serving the postal, trading, travel, and communication needs of the pioneers, large quantities of crops grown for export passed through this crossroads area. There was an inn and stagecoach station, and primary paths and trails extended out in several directions from Otahite.
With the advent of railroads and easier travel, the community’s significance waned. Today, the area has become more reminiscent of the old days when wild turkey and gopher populated the creeks, branches, and rivers...days when the juniper, magnolia, bay, and cypress trees, among others, grew in abundance along the byways and waters of northwest, present-day, Okaloosa County, Florida.
John Wilkinson, Jr., Sylvester Cotton, and Dallas Peaden (brothers-in-law) settled at Otahite. They built a church-school and hired a teacher from up north.
Unfortunately, the teacher had contracted tuberculosis upon arrival. Many people contracted the disease, died, and were buried in Otahite Cemetery. Two of them were John Wilkinson’s children. The Otahite Cemetery was never called the Peaden Cemetery, although John Wilkinson, Jr. and Virginia Peaden, who married in 1867, had 10 children, and have five of their children buried there. Other pioneer families associated with the area are Mashburn, Turvin, and Snowden.
On 19 January 1880 a request was submitted for a new post office to be named Otahite in the community of Alamosa, FL. It was to be located in the northwest ¼ of Section 3, Township 4N, Range 25W, which was 17 miles southwest of the Oak Grove community and 28 miles northeast of Milton, FL. The proposed Postmaster was Dallas Peaden. He was followed by John A. Peaden in 1904. By July 1909, mail from Milligan to Otahite ran six times a week. About 14 miles southwest of Otahite was the L&M Railroad. Otahite was about 8 miles from the Cobb community. The Blackwater Creek was 3 miles east of the community.
On 12 July 1909 a location change moved the post office 3 miles west of the existing site. This request was made by Peter D. Franklin. The contractor was Daniel A Stewart. The proposed Postmaster was Dallas Peaden. Approval was given on 3 March 1880 and signed by John Thomas, Oak Grove Postmaster. The total population to be supplied with mail was approximately 100. Lula A. Hamilton was Postmistress in 1910 and the office was discontinued on 31 May 1914.
“The local people pronounce it OTA-HIGHT but it is a Creek Indian word and they stress all the Letters. Native American, Nathan Chessher, says that if it had an E on the end it was because that is the way they said it O-TA-HI-TE, as a T was pronounced as a D it would have been said as Oda-hi-De.” Baker Block Museum
