CELESTE, TEXAS

Hunt County, Central Texas North

33° 17' 37" N, 96° 11' 44" W (33.293611, -96.195556)
Highway 69 and FM 816
10 Miles NW of Greenville, the county seat
20 Miles S of Bonham
About 70 Miles NE of Dallas
Population: 814 (2010) 817 (2000) 733 (1990)

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Celeste street scene
Photo courtesy Mike Price, October 2007

History in a Pecan Shell

In 1886 the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railway platted the townsite which was just three miles north of Kingston. This was economic revenge against Kingston for refusing to grant the railroad “incentives” to make their town a stop on the line.

The name is said to be after the wife of a Santa Fe official.
A post office opened in 1886, and the new town drew population and businesses from Kingston. By the mid-1890s, the population was 600, and Celeste had all essential businesses including a weekly newspaper. The town incorporated in 1900 when it had a population of 671. By 1917 it had grown to 850 residents and increased to 1,022 by 1922.

Due to the devestation of the cotton crop by the boll weevil in the 1920s and the Great Depression, Celeste’s population was 803 in the early 1930s where it remained for years. The population was 745 in the 1970s. From 733 in 1990, it has increased to 817 for the 2000 Census.

Celeste Texas city hall and police department

Celeste city hall and police department
Photo courtesy Mike Price, October 2007

First Baptist Church
Photo courtesy Mike Price, October 2007
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First Baptist Church historical marker, Celeste Texas

First Baptist Church historical marker
Photo courtesy Mike Price, October 2007
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Celeste water tower
Photo courtesy Mike Price, 2007
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Celeste old gas station
Photo courtesy Mike Price, 2007
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Take a road trip

Celeste, Texas Nearby Towns & Cities:
Greenville, the county seat
Bonham | Dallas
See Hunt County | Central Texas North | East Texas

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