Racepond Named For "Race Pond"
Racepond was named for ´Race Pond´, a round cypress pond near here, where, about 1836, United States soldiers ran their horses for sport.
The troops were stationed at the pond to watch for and capture any Indians who might venture our from Okefenokee Swamp where they had taken refuge from the great trek to the Western Reservation. Only a few men at a time were needed for patrol duty, and the rest amused themselves by racing their mounts over a track they constructed around the pond. A soldier wounded by the Indians died in camp and was buried near the track.
GHM 024-6 Georgia Historial Commission 1958
Plaque courtesy Lat34North.com.
Original page, with additional info, here.
Photo credit: David Seibert.