The community of Sonora was named in 1901 by the wife of the first postmaster, G.L. Sharretts. Situated near Red Hill Ford on Baker Branch and the intersection of travel routes between Silverhill, Magnolia Springs, Marlow Ferry, and Summerdale on Dixie Road, the area’s settlement was promoted by the Southern Plantation Development Company. Eli A. Summers, a land agent for the company and owner of a nearby hotel, and William Wilson, who owned a livery stable, courted potential settlers who came by boat via Fish River from Mobile in hopes of drawing them to settle there. The community was settled by a diversity of ethnic groups engaged in a variety of agricultural ventures. Although the post office was relocated to Summerdale in 1905 with the routing of the L&N Railroad’s Bay Minette to Foley spur line, Sonora remained an active farming community with a rich history of truck, dairy, and row-crop farming. The Sonora School, located at the site of the present-day Sonora Community Hall, opened for students around 1901 on land donated by William A. Wilson, and Ethel Dodd was hired as the first teacher. The building also housed the Union Sunday School beginning in 1912 and served as a hub of community activity. The school served children through the 7th grade until 1921, when it consolidated with Summerdale School, which provided classes through the 12th grade. After the old school building was no longer in use, it was dismantled, and the Sonora Community Hall was completed in 1925 with material salvaged from it. The hall has served as a gathering place for 4-H clubs, Ladies Aid, the Sonora Extension Homemaker’s Club, and community potluck dinners, and it remains a vital center of community activity maintained by local volunteers.