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Union Grove Middle School was built during the 1999 - 2000 academic year and began classes in AY 2000-2001. Union Grove Middle School underwent major renovations in 2018.
The name Union Grove originated with the Union Grove Academy, which served this area in the late nineteenth century. At that time, education in Henry County was based on a system of academies, poor schools, and homeschooling. As the twentieth century approached, our present system of public schools began to take shape.In 1904, the trustees of Union Grove Academy petitioned the county school board to declare Union Grove a public school, making the school eligible for a share of county school funds. The trustees named on the petition are S.G. Bryans, C.F. Burch, and W.G. Brannan. The original school district for Union Grove was bounded on the north by Cotton Indian Creek, on the east by Airline Road, on the south by Walnut Creek, and on the west by the Flippen school district. Since the 1820s, this area of Henry County has been known as the Elliott Settlement.
In 1913, the county authorized the construction of a new schoolhouse and appropriated $450 for that purpose. On May 14, 1917, William Lawson Elliott (1856-1937) donated 2 acres of land at the corner of what is now East Lake Road and John Elliott Road for the site of the new building. The men of the settlement provided the labor to construct the building. Union Grove prospered and continued to grow.Unfortunately, hard times came with the devastating Boll Weevil Depression of the 1920s. Between 1920 and 1940, more than 25 percent of Henry County's people moved away. Due to the decrease in population, school attendance dropped considerably. During this time, most of the smaller schools in the area closed and consolidated with Union Grove. Finally, in 1945, the trustees of Union Grove School voted to close the school and consolidate it with McDonough School.Gene Morris, Jr.County Historian
Last Modified on January 25, 2024
