Ono Island Community Page
Ono Island was first discovered by the Spanish is the late 1400’s. The island lies just north of Perdido Key, a natural barrier island in Florida. The island is approximately 5.5 miles long. The western tip is approximately 500 yards from the entrance to the Gulf of Mexico. Ole River is the body of water that borders the south side of the island and Bayou St. John and the Intracoastal Waterway border the northern shores of this coastal paradise.
Ono Island was originally settled in 1963 by a retired banker from Birmingham, John Calhoun Golightly. In 1945 when he returned from the Second World War – he was sent to Baldwin County to check out some “trash” property listed in an estate. He and 2 friends threw in $1,000 each and bought 1/3 of what was then called “Goat Island” — because locals raised their goats over there. It was also known as Puma Island because it was widely believed that a pair of pumas roamed the island for many years. People were certain that they heard their growls in the night. During World War II, the Navy at Pensacola used the island for target practice. In 1963, Golightly retired, rented a house in Pensacola and started to carry building materials and a generator over there. He built his own house with no TV and no telephone. He liked the pioneer spirit of the place. Then people moved in with their “conveniences” and cocktail parties, which pretty much ruined the atmosphere according to John. He became known as the slightly unsocial old man who would walk his dogs on the waterfront and pretty much ignore his neighbors. Although there are several fancy theories of how Ono Island got its name, John Golightly told his daughter that the island was originally attached to the Alabama mainland – until a hurricane eroded the land and separated the sites. Therefore, when Florida laid claim to the territory, Alabama residents said, “Oh no — this island belongs to us!” Hence the name.
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