Enoch

Enoch, on Farm Road 49 two miles west of Gilmer in central Upshur County, was established around 1912 by Mormons. Enoch and nearby Kelsey were founded as branches of the Mormon Church, and each was administered under the leadership of an appointed branch president who met weekly with the community to discuss spiritual and community affairs. By the mid-1930s Enoch had two churches, two stores, a school, and a number of houses. Its population in 1938 was reported as 250. The town's economy was largely agricultural, with dairying the most important industry. Cotton, grain, and truck-farming were also significant in the area. After World War II the community began to decline. Its school was consolidated with the Gilmer Independent School District in 1951, and during the 1950s and early 1960s many of its young people moved away. In the mid-1960s Enoch still had a population of 125 and a church, cemetery, store, and service station. In 1990 Enoch was a dispersed rural community, with only the church, the cemetery, and a few scattered houses remaining in the area. The population was twenty-five in 2000.