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Texas
Ghost Town
CENTER
CITY, TEXAS
Mills County,
Texas Hill Country
Highway 84
Population 15 (2000)
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Center City Methodist Church
Photo courtesy Jim & Lou Kinsey, 9-2004 |
History in
a Pecan Shell
Settled about 1870 as Hughes Store, when Mills county was organized,
the town optimistically designed their town square with a big empty
space for the courthouse. When Goldthwaite
was designated the county seat, they had to draw straws to decide
who would ride over to Hughes Store and break the bad news. |
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An
old store in Center City
Photo courtesy Jim & Lou Kinsey, 9-2004 |
But
even without a courthouse, businesses sprang up around the empty town
square. By 1874 the town had a post office, gristmill, school and
all the businesses essential for a growing town. In
the 1870s it was announced that the town was at the exact geographic
center of Texas and that a tree was growing at the exact spot.
This would more than make up for not being declared county seat! But
the tree was threatened by highway construction. The townspeople weren't
about to lose their second chance at fame. They stood up to the chain
saws and the "Heart of Texas Oak" stands today, fifty feet
from the highway that moved. The story of the tree and a photo (circa
1970) can be seen in Famous Trees of Texas - available in most
libraries. |
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Center City Cemetery
"Beneath Every Tombstone Lies a Story"
Photo courtesy Jim & Lou Kinsey, 9-2004 |
| By 1885 the
town had a population of 100 and although it lost its mail service
in the 1920s, there were still seventy-five people in town by 1940.
From 1970 through 2003 the town has had an estimated fifteen people.
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©
John Troesser
Center City
Forum
Subject: Center
City, Texas
From what I understand and also from some notes I have, my gg grandparents
were some of the very first settlers in Center City. My g-grandmother
was born in Center City in 1877. Their last name was Morris and they
were from Indiana. Just thought you might like a little info. - Patricia
Woods, May 09, 2005
Anyone
wishing to share stories, memories or a photo of the Heart of Texas
Oak, or Center City, Texas - please contact
us
More Photos
by Jim & Lou Kinsey |
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featuring Center City, Texas |
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