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CENTER,
TEXAS
Suggested slogan:
"Our courthouse is so beautiful, we don't need a slogan."
Shelby County Seat, East Texas
32 NE of Nacogdoches
At the intersection of Hwy 7 & 87
Just E of Hwy 96 in the middle of Shelby County
17 miles W of Louisiana's
state line
Population:
5,678 (2000)
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Old
bank building in Center
Photo courtesy
Lori Martin |
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Like
the town of Centerville
(Leon County), Center was named for its location at the center of
Shelby County.
History in a Pecan Shell
Margaret Wilson and Jesse Amason donated the townsite in 1856 or 1857.
In an 1866 election Center became the county seat, in one of Texas'
county seat disputes. In August 1866 the county records were stolen
and brought to Center, putting an end to the dispute. A post office
opened there the same year - further cementing the permanence of seat
of county government.
In 1882 the courthouse burned. It was replaced by the current courthouse
which is usually regarded as one of the handsomest in Texas.
In 1904, The Gulf, Beaumont and Great Northern Railway came through.
Center
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Former
Shelby County jail
Photo courtesy Barclay Gibson, August 2003 |
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Shelby County
Courthouse & Former Jail
The 1885 Romanesque
Rivival courthouse is worth driving out of the way to see. Inspired
by the castles in his native Ireland, architect John Gibson also
included a fenced cupola in this handsome and unusual brick building.
See Shelby
County Courthouse by Lou Ann Herda
The courthouse and matching (former) jail make Center an
East Texas weekend destination in itself.
The spacious square shows the two buildings to their best
advantage, however there's more. Right in the Center of the Piney
Woods, the city took the time to plant a wide variety of trees on
the courthouse lawn. In addition, the trees complement the courthouse,
rather than obscure it. A long row of hitching-rings are set into
the curb on the West side of the square.
Center
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L
- Hitching Rings on Center's Courthouse Square
R - The Old Jail Now Center Chamber of Commerce
TE photos |
More Center
Attractions
Sabine National
Forest - Entrance 11 miles SE on Hwy.87
Shelby County
Museum is one block off the square on the corner of Pecan and
Thomas Streets.
Tel. 936-598-3613
http://www.panola.cc.tx.us/~schs/
Scenic Drives
Hwy 87, FM
417 and FM 2694 to Boles Field Recreational Area, and other Forest
Services Roads in Sabine National Forest
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Coca-Cola
sign in Center
Photo courtesy Barclay Gibson, April 2006 |
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Center
Tourist Information
Shelby County
Chamber of Commerce - In the former jail.
100 Courthouse Square A-101, Center Texas 75935.
936-598-8163
Center
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