DeFuniak Springs in Walton County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)
Cosson Family Tragedy
Photographed By Paul Fehrenbach, April 22, 2014
1. Cosson Family Tragedy Marker
Inscription.
Cosson Family Tragedy. . In 1936, James Marvin Cosson Sr. moved his family to this location about one-half mile east of the Eglin Army Airfield to have more land to farm and to provide for his wife, Annie Bell Cosson, and their four children. During World War II, Eglin Airfield served as a major testing and training ground for bombing missions. The Army Air Corps regularly performed training missions at the Eglin bombing range, located about three miles west of the Cosson home. On the evening of August 11, 1944, as nine members of the Cosson family gathered at the house to socialize, live fragmentation bombs accidentally began to fall on the family homestead. Two bombs fell near the house, killing four and seriously injuring five members of the Cosson family. The accident occurred during a normal bombing test run and was attributed to the failure of a mechanical releasing device, which caused the aircraft’s bombs not to be released until after the plane had traveled past the bombing test area. Other training accidents took place in Florida during World War II, but the Cosson family tragedy was the worst of the war. In 1980, Congress passed a bill providing a yearly payment to the most seriously injured survivor of the Cosson family tragedy.
In 1936, James Marvin Cosson Sr. moved his family to this location about one-half mile east of the Eglin Army Airfield to have more land to farm and to provide for his wife, Annie Bell Cosson, and their four children. During World War II, Eglin Airfield served as a major testing and training ground for bombing missions. The Army Air Corps regularly performed training missions at the Eglin bombing range, located about three miles west of the Cosson home. On the evening of August 11, 1944, as nine members of the Cosson family gathered at the house to socialize, live fragmentation bombs accidentally began to fall on the family homestead. Two bombs fell near the house, killing four and seriously injuring five members of the Cosson family. The accident occurred during a normal bombing test run and was attributed to the failure of a mechanical releasing device, which caused the aircraft’s bombs not to be released until after the plane had traveled past the bombing test area. Other training accidents took place in Florida during World War II, but the Cosson family tragedy was the worst of the war. In 1980, Congress passed a bill providing a yearly payment to the most seriously injured survivor of the Cosson family tragedy.
Erected 2012 by The Walton County Board of County Commissioners and the Florida
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Department of State. (Marker Number F-741.)
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Disasters • War, World II. A significant historical year for this entry is 1936.
Location. 30° 39.222′ N, 86° 10.442′ W. Marker is in DeFuniak Springs, Florida, in Walton County. Marker is on Cosson Road, one mile west of Coy Burgess Loop, on the right when traveling west. Marker is located in a small vehicle turnout on the north side of Cosson Road. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Defuniak Springs FL 32435, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Credits. This page was last revised on July 22, 2018. It was originally submitted on April 28, 2014, by Paul Fehrenbach of Germantown, Wisconsin. This page has been viewed 3,877 times since then and 304 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on April 28, 2014, by Paul Fehrenbach of Germantown, Wisconsin. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.
