Catering and Party Room Rental

Restaurant, Bed & Breakfast

105 and 130 Emma Way

Killen, AL 35645

(256) 757-7648

(256) 757-7647 fax                        (256) 762-1370 mobile

mailto:theemmahouse@bellsouth.net

 Welcome to The Emma House Website!

Home of The Emma House Private Restaurant

and Lodging Information Center.

The Emma House is a comfortable “down home” facility where owner Judith Thompson Powell offers catering and party room rental.

Named for her late grandmother, Emma Leigh Newton, The Emma House is located two miles west of Elgin just off U.S. Highway 72 at 105 Emma Way, Killen.  The property where several residences now exist once belonged to Judith’s great-grandmother Rebecca Sledge.  The Emma House was once the home of Judith’s aunt, Susie Hammond.  Judith’s grandmother, Emma, married Eaphrium “Eaf” Newton.  He was a widower who had four boys.  Together they had five children… one who died as an infant. 

Among the children Emma and Eaf had together is Ruth, Judith’s mother.  Ruth Thompson lives near The Emma House and not far from her lives her only sister Essie Walton Coker.  The Emma House catering facility & restaurant has names for each room… Emma Leigh, Ruth, Essie and Susie.  The patio is called the Calvin Terrace in honor of the Late Calvin Newton, Judith’s uncle. 

Emma Leigh and her sister, Fannie Bell both completely lost their hearing at the ages of five and seven due to scarlet fever.  They later attended Alabama school for the Deaf in Talladega.  As adults, the sisters married.  Emma Leigh overcame lots of adversity.  In addition to being deaf she lost her husband in December 1933 who died in an accident three weeks before Ruth was born.  With her strong faith in God and determination she forged on.  Emma never married again.  She and her children hired out chopping and picking cotton… and took in laundry… to help pay property taxes and purchase a few items. 

This was during the Great Depression and most families had a hard time economically.   It was especially tough on a deaf widow… the mother of four and stepmother of four.  Yet, she persevered … always keeping her family close to her heart. 

In the 1930s, Emma’s oldest child, Susie, and her husband built the house now known as "The Emma House".  Related families have always owned this house.  After being purchase by Judith and Travis Powell, it underwent massive renovation/remodeling. But they made sure that the changes did not take away from the original character of the house.   

Judith does her food catering preparation in The Emma House kitchen which features a workstation made from an old bar.  This bar was put in Fisherman’s Resort when it was built in the 1920s.  It was obtained by Long’s Antiques and was purchased from Ms. Glenda Long.