Elmore Union

On June 4, 1898, Fleming Wade Elmore donated a parcel of land from his homestead on Greasy Ridge for a school or church. A second parcel was gifted in 1922 from the Stinson farm. A building was erected by Ed Gore and Boone and John Powell which continues to house the Elmore Union Church. Wade Elmore Jr. attended the church from the first day of Sunday School in 1904 until his death. His brother George Elmore was secretary. Preachers came from Methodist, Christian, Church of God, Baptist, Presbyterian, and other denominations, riding on horseback or walking miles each week, for little or no pay. They depended on the hospitality of the neighborhood for food and shelter.

Wade Elmore talked of all-day meetings with dinner on the grounds of the church, with preaching by more than one minister. “They came early, bringing their dinner, maybe a tablecloth to spread on the ground or a quilt to sit on. They left as the sun went down, taking with them a renewed faith in God," he said. Wade Elmore remembered "the first Dinner on the Grounds meeting when someone arrived by motorcar, and how strange it looked parked along the wagons and carriages—and he remembered the year when the field was full of parked automobiles, and only one family came in a horse-drawn carriage.”  Favored annual events included the Summer Picnic, Christmas programs and Easter Egg hunts.

People walked or rode horseback for miles to hear preaching, sometimes with standing room only in the church. Over the years improvements have been made to the building, including a basement, a bell and bell tower, a pulpit and new pews, a gas furnace, new windows, and ceiling lighting.

The memories of Wade Elmore were jotted down in a brief history of the church in July 1976 by Diana Whittaker Clemons. The little booklet includes a list of preachers from each domination from 1904-1976. It was presented to Wade to thank him for his years of faithfulness and is reproduced in this section’s photographs under “Early History.”

Elmore Union Church is still active in 2024. It is the site of the annual Elmore Reunion held each year on the second Sunday of August.