Elkmont

James P. Kaetz, Auburn University
Elkmont is located in north-central Limestone County in the extreme north-central part of the state. It has a mayor/city council form of government. Renowned country duet The Delmore Brothers were raised in Elkmont, and the town is home to the renowned goat cheese manufacturer Belle Chevre.
History
Sulphur Creek Trestle
Settlers began coming to the area as early as 1817. In the 1850s, the Louisville & Nashville Railroad built a line through the Elkmont area; the Elkmont Depot, built to serve the daily traffic, still stands. Elkmont's rail line became a target during the Civil War for its importance in shuttling supplies to a fort held by the U.S. Army at the Sulphur Creek Trestle. On September 25, 1864, Confederate troops commanded by Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest waged a successful eight-hour battle to capture the fort and all of its supplies. Elkmont incorporated in 1873. The town built the first public school in the county, Limestone County High School, in 1912.
Demographics
According to 2020 Census estimates, Elkmont recorded a population of 419. Of that number, 93.1 percent of respondents identified themselves as white, 3.1 percent as African American, 2.6 percent as two or more races, 1.2 percent as American Indian, and 1.4 percent as Hispanic or Latino. The town's median household income was $42,500, and the per capita income was $25,196.
Employment
According to 2020 Census estimates, the work force in Elkmont was divided among the following industrial categories:
  • Educational services, and health care and social assistance (35.4 percent)
  • Manufacturing (23.1 percent)
  • Retail trade (9.2 percent)
  • Professional, scientific, management, and administrative and waste management services (8.2 percent)
  • Arts, entertainment, recreation, and accommodation and food services (7.2 percent)
  • Construction (6.2 percent)
  • Finance, insurance, and real estate, rental, and leasing (5.6 percent)
  • Public administration (2.5 percent)
  • Transportation and warehousing and utilities (2.1 percent)
  • Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, and extractive (1.0 percent)
Education
Schools in Elkmont are part of the Limestone County school system; the town has one K-12 school.
Transportation
State Highway 127 skirts the western border of Elkmont running north-south.
Events and Places of Interest
Elkmont is located about four miles west of the Elk River, which flows into the Wheeler Reservoir and then into Wheeler Lake. The Elkmont Depot is listed on the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage. The Sulphur Trestle Fort Site, which lies one mile south of Elkmont, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Elkmont has an 8.8-mile Rails-to-Trails walking and riding path built on the old rail bed.
Published:  July 23, 2014   |   Last updated:  January 11, 2023