Center Point, Kerr County, Texas

History

In the mid-1850s, as Kerr County was establishing a new county seat, a small community to the south was being established as a major trade area between Comfort and Kerrsville (later changed to Kerrville) and Bandera and Fredericksburg.

On November 25, 1859, the first post office was established and called Zanzenberg after the ancestral home of the town founder Charles Ganahl. Originally opened in the home of Ganahl, the post office stayed there until 1872, when it was moved to the south side of the Guadalupe River, where a sizable community was being built. When the post office was reopened, it was called Center Point due to its location on the trade routes.

Founded largely by settlers from western Tennessee, the community continued to grow as relatives and neighbors from Tennessee converged on the banks of the Guadalupe to call Zanzenburg/Center Point their new home. On September 1, 1857, the first native of Center Point, Daniel C. Nowlin, was born to James Crispin Nowlin and Ann Gathings Nowlin. Daniel served as Kerr County Surveyor, sheriff of Lincoln County, New Mexico, and then to Wyoming where he was a prominent sheep rancher until his death on February 5, 1925.

The first attempt at incorporating Center Point came on August 9, 1889, for "school purposes".

At the turn of the 20th century, Center Point was a thriving trade center and remained so until, like so many communities in America, it became the victim of new highways passing it by. Once again, on March 1, 1913, Center Point voted itself an incorporated city, appointed a mayor, city clerk, commissioners’ health officer, and then, in October of the same year, dissolved itself by a popular vote of the people. It remained unincorporated until the mid-1990s, when voters once again approved incorporation. Within less than two years, it was once again voted that the incorporation should be dissolved. As such, Center Point remains one of the largest unincorporated communities in the state of Texas.

Geography

Climate

Center Point experiences a humid subtropical climate, with hot summers and a generally mild winter. Temperatures range from 82 F in the summer to 49 F during winter.

| Jan record high F =90 | Feb record high F =96 | Mar record high F = 101 | Apr record high F = 104 | May record high F =102 | Jun record high F = 108 | Jul record high F = 109 | Aug record high F = 109 | Sep record high F = 109 | Oct record high F = 102 | Nov record high F =92 | Dec record high F = 88 | Jan record low F =-5 | Feb record low F = -3 | Mar record low F = 12 | Apr record low F = 24 | May record low F = 38 | Jun record low F = 48 | Jul record low F = 55 | Aug record low F = 54 | Sep record low F = 35 | Oct record low F = 24 | Nov record low F = 12 | Dec record low F = 1

Demographics

|align-fn=center 1850–1900 1910 1920 1930 1940

1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2020

Center Point first appeared as a census designated place in the 2020 U.S. census.

2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 1,263 people, 624 households, and 544 families residing in the CDP.

Education

The Center Point Independent School District serves area students.

Notable people

• Catherine "Sara" Haden, actress, born in Center Point on November 17, 1898.
• Carl Pfeufer, comic book artist, magazine illustrator, and fine artist, lived in Center Point.
• Stacy Sutherland, lead guitarist of 13th Floor Elevators, is buried in Center Point Cemetery.
• Edwin Walker, United States Army officer, was born in Center Point.

Photo Gallery

Image:Downtown Center Point Wiki (1 of 1).jpg|Downtown Center Point Image:Center Point Depot Wiki (1 of 1).jpg|Center Point Depot Image:Center Point School Wiki (1 of 1).jpg|Center Point School Image:Center Point Building Wiki (1 of 1).jpg|Old building in Center Point Historical Park

References

Much of the information above was gleaned from "Kerr County Texas 1856-1956" by Clara Watkins revised edition of Bennett Book.

References

1. {{cite gnis2. 2805803. Center Point, Texas
2. "Kerrville, Texas". Texas State Historical Association.
3. [[Minutes]] of Kerr County Commissioners Court, Book D: pp. 385–387.
4. "Decennial Census by Decade".
5. "1900 Census of Population - Population of Texas By Counties And Minor Civil Divisions".
6. "1910 Census of Population - Supplement for Texas".
7. "1920 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - Texas".
8. "1930 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - Texas".
9. "1940 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - Texas".
10. "1950 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - Texas".
11. "1960 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - Texas".
12. "1970 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - Texas".
13. "1980 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - Texas".
14. "1990 Census of Population - Population and Housing Unit Counts - Texas".
15. "2000 Census of Population - Population and Housing Unit Counts - Texas".
16. "2010 Census of Population - Population and Housing Unit Counts - Texas".
17. "2020 Geography Changes". [[United States Census Bureau]].
18. "P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Center Point CDP, Texas". [[United States Census Bureau]].
19. (2016). "Accustomed to Her Face: Thirty-Five Character Actresses of Golden Age Hollywood". McFarland.