Gulf Cemetery was established circa 1910 when the town of Santa Rosa was founded on Hogtown Bayou, and the town's first families buried their loved ones there on the area's highest elevation overlooking the Gulf of Mexico. It was formally established as a U.S. Government parcel on June 17th, 1914, when President Woodrow Wilson signed patent 414345 authorizing the sale of 40 acres to the Gulf Cemetery Association. Gulf Cemetery and Alango Cemetery in St. Louis County, Minnesota, are the only two U.S. patented cemeteries still in operation east of the Mississippi River. Since its establishment, Gulf Cemetery has faced numerous challenges, including being sold in error three times for delinquent property taxes and, more recently, being threatened by private development. Originally subdivided by religious denominations, the grounds are now interdenominational. The cemetery contains the remains of many veterans and pioneer families who were instrumental in founding the South Walton community, with some graves marked by wooden crosses and weathered monuments, and its long tradition of volunteer care and preservation continues.