Pierce was honored in 1982 with a National Heritage Fellowship for his art and influence in the woodcarving community.

Pierce was the youngest son in his family, born on a farm in Baldwyn, Mississippi, on March 5, 1892.

In the 1920s, Pierce made an entire zoo of wood carved animals for his wife, Cornelia.

The Book of Wood was the first type of carving Pierce ever made differing from his typical small sculptures.

[8] In 1973, Pierce won first prize in the International Meeting of Naive Art in Zagreb, Yugoslavia.

[6] Pierce is generally regarded and commemorated as one of the greatest and most influential woodcarvers from within the past few centuries.

Performing and Cultural Arts Complex in Columbus, Ohio, named the Elijah Pierce Gallery in his honor.

[12] Pierce died on May 7, 1984, at St. Anthony's Hospital in Columbus, of an apparent heart attack.