Cedar Creek Cemetery Board of Trustees, as of July 2020 are as follows:
Steve Harvey (904) 275-3585 and Ronnie Davis (904) 275-2663- Co- Chairmen of the Board

David Hand (904) 382-7259- Trustee
Billy Williams (904) 275-2363- Trustee
Melissa "Cissy"(Harvey) Norman (904) 275-2432- Secretary/treasurer 

As of April 29, 2023, Ty Dugger was elected by all present at our Election of Officer's meeting, to serve on our board, along with:
Steve Harvey
Ronnie Davis
David Hand
Billy Williams
Melissa "Cissy" Harvey Norman




Cedar Creek Cemetery is a private family cemetery and is located along County Road 124, in Sanderson, Florida. It was started by pioneer families that lived in the area known as Cedar Creek.  Some of the families included: Combs, Davis, Dopson, Dorman, Dugger, Harvey, Johnson, and Williams. It is one of the oldest cemeteries in Baker County. 

According to local historian Gene Barber, "Sanderson started as an entity about 3 1/2 miles north of its present day location and was on the old plank Jacksonville-Tallahassee road. Its name was Cedar Creek and a congestion of residents was known to be there prior to 1840, a result of settlers keeping close to a fortified site near the present day Cedar Creek Cemetery.

About 1835 John and Mary(Alexander)Harvey moved to old Columbia county(present day Baker), Florida and settled on Cedar Creek. With them were John Jr. and Isaac, both of whom were undoubtedly sons. Also, among the immigrants to the Florida territory was a known daughter Sarah who was the mother of John Daniel Williams. The elder Harveys dropped from public records about 1845, possible victims of the Second Seminole War. Some of the older Harveys think they might have been buried in present day Cedar Creek Cemetery.

The Harvey settlement was on the bank of Cedar Creek on an elevation where a little branch merged with the creek. As were all the early homes, it was fortified with a tall stockade fence of sharpened pine trunks buried on end around the cabin. Besides the legends from area residents, there are a few known brief mentions of this 'fort' in military writings.

Cedar Creek continued as a lively spot until the disastrous Malaria epidemic of 1888, and it still possessed a few residents into the first years of the 20th century. Most of its leading citizens such as Pons, Oglesbys, Chalkers, and Herndons had already moved into Sanderson by the early 1870's and the other old-line families, Harveys, Davises, Johnsons, Yelvingtons either went to Glen or Sanderson. In other words, "Cedar Creek just moved away, and most of it went into creating Sanderson."

Land for Cedar Creek Cemetery was first deeded to the Cedar Creek Cemetery board of trustees October 30th, 1905, by Harney J. and Barbara Davis. The original trust was comprised of I.J. Davis, E.E. Davis, and A. J. Dorman. Harney had acquired the land in July 1904 from The United States government under an Act of Congress which was approved, May 20th 1862, "to secure Homesteads to Actual Settlers on the Public Domain. By 1905, Cedar Creek Cemetery had already been in use as a cemetery since approximately the 1840's. Earliest burials were marked with wooden boards cut from the nearby woods. Most of which have since rotted away. A few old pieces of wooden markers remain with some of the graves now marked with granite headstones reading, "unknown".   The oldest stone headstones in the cemetery are ones for Charles Isaac Dopson and Theodora Lugg Dopson, both buried in 1860.  Additional land donations from the Mann family, have increased the overall size of Cedar Creek Cemetery to 25.09 acres total.

Gene also noted," The New River (Baker) County delegate to the Florida Secession Convention in 1860 was a dentist of modest means and a Primitive, Baptist preacher of dubious orthodoxy. Although he pastored and supplied in most area churches of that faith somewhat to their satisfaction, Dr. Isaac C. Koon drew their ire when he began to spread a 'no-Hell' doctrine. Dr. Koon founded the "No Hell" Baptist Church at what we now know as Cedar Creek Cemetery after his return from fighting with the Confederacy during the War Between the States. He said that after four years of war, he had seen hell and he did not believe God would, be responsible for such a place and that mankind created its own hell on earth. The other Baptists referred to his followers as 'Koonitics' and called their meeting house 'the No-Hell Baptist Church.'

The old wood frame 'No Hell Baptist church' sat in the middle of Cedar Creek Cemetery until the early 1960's when it was torn down. The salvaged pieces of wood from the church were used to build the home of Charlie and Gussie(Dorman) Harvey which still stands to this day, down Fred Harvey Road in Sanderson. (A picture of the old wooden church can be viewed in our gallery.) A block structure was then built from donations collected from the local populace and was built by men from the various families buried at Cedar Creek.  The intent for this block structure was to be a means for family members to get out of the weather(rain, cold, heat, etc.) during funerals.

Selected info above taken from:
THE BAKER COUNTY PRESS, Thursday March 17, 1977 Page Two THE WAY IT WAS-Gene Barber

THE BAKER COUNTY PRESS, Thursday, November 27, 1975 Page Two The Way It Was-Gene Barber

THE BAKER COUNTY PRESS, Thursday August 25, 1977 Page Two THE WAY IT WAS-Gene Barber

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