Center City Community
Star, Mills County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Settled in 1854 by the families of William Jenkins and David Morris (1811-89), this community was called "Hughes Store" after W.C. Hughes and his wife opened a store here in the 1870s. They platted a townsite in 1876, hoping to attract the railroad and to become county seat. An ancient live oak (100 yds. S), by tradition once considered the center of Texas, was site of temporary court and school sessions and religious services. Renamed "Center City", this thriving town boasted several stores and businesses until the railroad bypassed it in 1885. The post office remained until 1920. (1977)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Settled in 1854 by the Jenkins and Morris families, this Mills County community was first called "Hughes Store" for the couple who opened a shop here in the 1870s. Hopeful founders platted a townsite in 1876 and dreamed of the railroad and the county seat, gathering beneath an ancient live oak long held by tradition to mark the geographic center of Texas. Renamed Center City, the town bustled with stores until the railroad passed it by in 1885; its post office lingered only until 1920.
Why it matters
Center City is a classic tale of a Texas town whose fortunes rose and fell with the railroad — thriving on hope, then fading once the tracks chose another route.
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Related people
- · William Jenkins
- · David Morris
- · W. C. Hughes
Themes & tags
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