History of Emory Mills
Our family values and community roots reach back to the 1930s
Emory Mills may be modern and new, but our connections to this community go way back…
Our family has called Knox County home since the 1930s.
With an eye toward enterprise and stewardship, our pioneering grandparents opened a general store that served the community with goods, food, and a place to connect with others.
During the leanest years of the Great Depression, Brantley General Store provided more than just sustenance to this community’s members.
Through it, our grandparents also offered hope, support, and generosity to their neighbors—because they knew we were all in it together and sought to lift everyone up as the community navigated a difficult time in our nation’s history.
Our father, Flonze E. Sorey, carried on this family tradition of community support through his business ventures on the same site, his lifelong work as a Baptist minister, and his funding of many vital local projects over the years.
A family tradition of community services continues and evolves
When the time came for us to pick up the torch, we had a clear roadmap of community service to follow.
In seeking out senior living for a loved one in need, we were faced firsthand with the lack of decent options in this area, particularly when it came to memory care support. The family searched for the best examples of excellence in senior care and found it at Abe’s Garden Community in Nashville. After touring Abe’s Garden, they were confident that providing elevated assisted living and memory care in Knoxville was possible if they followed their model of care. Emory Mills is managed by Abe’s Garden Community.
After our father passed, we decided to continue our family’s history of service to the community by developing a senior living community on our historic property.
With Emory Mills, we’re proud to continue our family’s long history of giving back to this wonderful community and creating spaces where we all can connect and thrive.
At Emory Mills, we treat all our residents like members of our own cherished family.
Because we believe family is defined by caring and love, no matter what life brings.
We’re committed to offering our community members a home-like environment, where they make friends, have plenty of fun, and reconnect with life’s purpose and meaning.
With Emory Mills, we made the senior living community we’d want for our own family.
Watching our vision come to life has been a source of great joy in our lives—and we’re deeply honored to share our dream with the community we love so much.
Like a mighty tree with deep roots and green leaves reaching toward the sky, we’ll stay grounded while we keep growing—let’s grow together into our bright future.
Come home to Emory Mills .
