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History in
a Pecan Shell
In 1859 Dr. Charles
de Ganahl opened a post office inside his home on the north side of
the Guadalupe
River. Ganahl applied for the post office to be called Zanzenberg
after his Austrian hometown and it was granted under that name.
In 1872 when the post office moved to the south side of the river,
the new postmaster renamed the post office Center Point since it was
both equidistant between Kerrville
and Comfort and Fredericksburg
and Bandera.
In 1888 Charles de Ganahl's widow Virginia attempted to bolster the
sagging population of the settlement’s north bank by deeding land
to the railroad. The railroad came and built a depot, however the
town which she had hoped to name Ganahl, never materialized.
The 1900 population of Center Point was estimated at 500 with most
essential businesses and a few of the non-essential variety. Center
Point was an active trading center for area ranches and farms through
the 1920s.
The area’s reputation as a retirement haven goes back a long way.
It became a popular place for former Texas Rangers to retire and many
tombstones in the town’s cemetery have small metal crosses alongside
them – signifying a Ranger’s grave.
Center Point spent decades minding its business and enjoying life
alongside the river.
The population which was estimated at 800 in the mid 1980s, fell to
625 for the 1990 census, rebounded back to 800 in 2000. The population
estimate in 2010 is 566.
From time to time there’s a tongue-in-cheek movement to rename the
community Zanzenberg since its more in keeping with other Germanic
place names in the Hill
Country. |
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"The Historic
Center Point Railroad Depot was moved back to Center Point in 2012,
and is currently undergoing roof restoration, spearheaded by efforts
of the Center Point Area Historic Preservation Association. The Association
now has a Facebook page under the its name, with photos and updates."
- Rachel
A. Jones, Secretary, Center Point Area Historical Association, November
21, 2014
More Texas Depots
| Texas Railroads
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Texas Historic Preservation |
Center Point
Cemetery Historical Marker
TE photo, 2001 |
Historical Marker
(On FM 480 approximately .5 miles from Center Point):
Center Point
Cemetery
The earliest
known settlers in this area were Mrs. Elizabeth Denton and her children
and slaves, who arrived in 1852. They were joined in 1858 by the
family of Dr. Charles Ganahl, who named the new community Zanzenberg,
after his hometown in Austria. The town became known as Center Point
in 1872, and settlers continued to moved into the area.
In 1872 land was purchased for a church and cemetery on this site,
and in 1881 two acres were added to the property to enlarge the
cemetery. The church was moved off the property, and another land
acquisition in 1901 increased the cemetery property to 5.3 acres.
Approximately 1,452 graves have been located here. The oldest marked
burial is that of Lydia Burney (1795-1875). Many early pioneers
and community leaders are buried here, as well as 32 Texas Rangers,
whose names are: W. D. C.Burney; N. Coldwell; J. A. Gibbens; H.
T. Hill; F. L. Holloway; R. J. Irving, Sr.; R. J. Lange; J. H. Lane;
S. T. Lane, Jr.; T. Lane; M. A. Lowrance; J. L. McElroy; S. G. McElroy;
A. S. Moore; F. M. Moore; G. K. Moore; G.R. Moore; G. W. Moore;
H. C. Moore; James Moore; J. T. Moore; M. F. Moore; D. C. Nowlin;
J. C. Nowlin; R. W. Nowlin; P. Alonzo Rees; N. O. Reynolds; W. H.
Rishworth; J. L. Sellars; A. J. Sowell; W. H. Witt; S. G. Wray.
Texas Sesquicentennial 1836-1986
See
[Texas
Rangers Have Their Own "Arlington" by Mike Cox]
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| "Honk if
you love Center Point." |
"...and
then the bartender says: I wasn't talking to you - I was talking to
the duck!"
TE photos, February 2009 |
A deer waiting
to cross the road.
TE photo,
February 2009
See Texas Animals |
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Site of Zanzenberg
Granite Marker
Take our word for it, there is an inscription.
TE photo,
February 2009
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Historical Marker:
from Center Point take SH 27 approximately 0.5 mile east to marker
site
Site of Zanzenberg
Home of Dr.
Charles De Ganahl (1824-1883), a signer of the Texas Articles of
Secession in 1861 and Army Surgeon for the Confederate States of
America. The home was erected in 1856 and named after Dr. Ganahl's
ancestral home in the Austrian Tyrol of Europe. Here the first post
office in Kerr County was established in 1857 with his wife Virginia
(1834-1895) as the first postmaster.
(1968)
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| Texas
Escapes, in its purpose to preserve historic, endangered and vanishing
Texas, asks that anyone wishing to share their local history, stories,
landmarks and recent or vintage photos, please contact
us. |
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