The first documented settlers in present-day Parrish in the early part of 1850 were William B. Hooker and William H. Johnson, who found an ideal climate, fertile soil, and a nearby river suitable for establishing a plantation for their ill-fated joint venture in growing sea island cotton. After their partnership dissolved, Maj. William Iredell Turner acquired Hooker's plantation in 1867 and named it Oak Hill. Among the other early settlers were Crawford and Mary Bratcher Vanzandt Parrish, and when the post office opened, the community's name was changed to Parrish. By 1902 the railroad provided mail and travel service, and Parrish became a thriving community based on citrus, cattle, and agriculture. The area had a grove more than 100 years old still bearing, three packing houses, three or more churches, two boarding houses, a blacksmith shop, and many stores. At the turn of the century, the Methodist Church served as a school, and Crawford P. Parrish gave land for the first schoolhouse, which was later removed and replaced with the present building in 1924. In 1865, during his escape from Richmond, Confederate Secretary of State Judah P. Benjamin was hidden in a swamp behind Major Turner's house for several days before being transported to Gamble Mansion.