On April 4, 1923, Ora Eugene Tate, Sr. deeded a 1.8-acre tract of land to the ladies of the Service Star Legion of Elbert County, stipulating that it must be perpetually used and maintained as a memorial park. He made the donation to honor the memory of his son, Lieutenant Edmund Brewer Tate, III, who was killed in action in the Argonne Forest battle near Saint Juvin, France, on October 12, 1918, and his other sons, Jean H. Tate and Ora E. Tate, Jr., who served in World War I, together with all their comrades from Elbert County. He dedicated the land as a memorial to them and their service to their country and the world. From 1923 to 1984, the Service Star Legion Park was managed by the patriotic ladies of the S.S. Legion. Its early development included a large landscaped raised star in the center with five walkways to each point, a tall flagpole in the center of the landscaped star, a planted magnolia tree honoring U.S. President Woodrow Wilson, and live oak trees around the perimeter honoring the soldiers of World War I. The ladies erected the first World War I memorial on November 11, 1938. On April 18, 1984, the park was donated and deeded to Elbert County, Georgia, renamed Elbert County Memorial Park, and placed under the management of a board of trustees.