Center, Texas
Encyclopedia
Shelby County, Texas
*Arcadia*Brooklyn*Center*Dreka *Huxley*Joaquin*Possum Trot*Shelbyville *Tenaha*Timpson*Weaver-Education:The following school districts serve Shelby County:*Center ISD*Excelsior ISD...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 5,678 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
of Shelby County
Shelby County, Texas
*Arcadia*Brooklyn*Center*Dreka *Huxley*Joaquin*Possum Trot*Shelbyville *Tenaha*Timpson*Weaver-Education:The following school districts serve Shelby County:*Center ISD*Excelsior ISD...
. It is named for its location near the center of Shelby County, not for its location in Texas as it is located near the Louisiana border.
Geography
Center is seventeen miles from the Louisiana border and 118 miles north of Beaumont at the center of Shelby County.According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the city has a total area of 6.2 square miles (16.2 km²), of which, 6.2 square miles (16.1 km²) of it is land and 0.16% is water.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 5,678 people, 2,034 households, and 1,334 families residing in the city. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 911.0 people per square mile (351.9/km²). There were 2,290 housing units at an average density of 367.4 per square mile (141.9/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 51.14% White, 34.22% African American, 0.23% Native American, 0.46% Asian, 10.95% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 2.99% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 18.05% of the population.
There were 2,034 households out of which 32.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.1% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 20.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.4% were non-families. 30.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.61 and the average family size was 3.23.
In the city the population was spread out with 26.3% under the age of 18, 10.9% from 18 to 24, 25.0% from 25 to 44, 18.8% from 45 to 64, and 19.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 86.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.4 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $26,061, and the median income for a family was $31,699. Males had a median income of $23,468 versus $19,441 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the city was $14,233. About 19.4% of families and 23.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 31.5% of those under age 18 and 14.7% of those age 65 or over.
Center is the home to the only remaining Irish castle style courthouse in the US, built in 1885, by J.J.E. Gibson, and maintained by the Texas Historic Commission. The city gets its name from its location in the geographic center of Shelby County.
History
Shelby County was one of the original thirteen counties in Texas, being organized by the Republic of Texas Congress in 1837. The county was named for Issac Shelby, an American military hero and Governor of Kentucky. Shelby County eventually became one of the most populous and prosperous counties in the state because of its proximity to Louisiana and location along the Sabine River.The settlement which eventually became the City of Center was originally called White Cottage. A post office was established at this settlement on April 6, 1848.
Al Johnson, an East Texas State Representative, introduced a bill to have all county seats be as close to the center of the county as possible. R.L. Parker, the County Clerk at the time, arranged to have the county surveyed and the center located. A vote was held in Shelby County to move the seat of county government from Shelbyville, the original county seat, to the center of the county. The result of the vote was in favor of relocating the county seat. The people in Shelbyville organized to protect the county records. However, one night in 1866, a group of men led by Parker entered into the courthouse, confiscated all of the records and relocated them to a log cabin near White Cottage. Shortly after the incident, the community became known as Center, primarily to reflect the requisite location of the county seat.
The Center post office opened in October 1866. In 1869, Confederate veterans Captain Jesse Amason and William P. Wilson each donated fifty acres of land for the townsite of Center. According to one historical account, Amason would not give the land unless the new town would have a four acre town square, and that is the reason that Center has such a large Square. Mr. Wilson owned considerable land in the southern quarter of the town. Much of that area is called the "Wilson Addition".
On the night of May 31, 1882, a fire erupted at the courthouse and the building was a complete loss. The county contracted with J.J. E. Gibson, an Irish immigrant, to construct a new courthouse and jail. When the bond of builders J.J. E. Gibson and Pat McLaughlin for the sum of $26,725 was issued in 1884 for them to erect a new courthouse for Shelby County, the firm of Wilson and Martin were among the securities. The courthouse, modeled after an Irish castle, was completed in November, 1885 and is still standing as the centerpiece of the Center Square.
Events
The city celebrates a county wide Watermelon and Poultry Festival every year. The poultry festival is also accompanied by the Poultry Festival Pageant which is participated in by the high school seniors of the county. The Pageant crowns a Poultry Festival Queen who presides over the three day Poultry Festival. The Queen is decided by a board of non-partisan, appointed judges.Also in Shelby County there is the Miss Shelby County Pageant: The Pageant is open to all Shelby County Young Ladies and a PreTeen, JrTeen, Teen and Miss Queen is crowned. The title holder represents Shelby County throughout her annual reign at many area events.
The annual What A Melon Festival also crowns a queen to reign over the festival in July each year.
Notable residents
- Charlie Bradshaw (American football)
- Del ShofnerDel ShofnerDelbert Martin Shofner is a former American football wide receiver who played for eleven seasons with the Los Angeles Rams and the New York Giants from 1957 to 1967 in the National Football League. Shofner was a five-time consensus All-Pro and Pro Bowler in 1958, 1959, and from 1961 to 1963...
, Professional Football Player - Wayne ChristianWayne ChristianWayne Christian is a businessman from Center, Texas, who is a Republican member of the Texas House of Representatives from District 9, which includes Jasper, Nacogdoches, Sabine, San Augustine, and Shelby counties in East Texas....
, Texas State RepresentativeTexas House of RepresentativesThe Texas House of Representatives is the lower house of the Texas Legislature. The House is composed of 150 members elected from single-member districts across the state. The average district has about 150,000 people. Representatives are elected to two-year terms with no term limits... - Charles McClellandCharles McClellandCharles A. McClelland, Jr. is the current police chief of the Houston Police Department . Joining the department in May 1977, McClelland worked his way up through the ranks, from rookie to assistant chief in 1998, before being asked to step in as acting chief...
, Houston Police DepartmentHouston Police DepartmentThe Houston Police Department is the primary law enforcement agency serving the City of Houston, Texas, United States and some surrounding areas. Its headquarters are in 1200 Travis in Downtown Houston....
Police Chief. - Dan DuncanDan DuncanDan L Duncan was an American born in Center, Texas. He was the co-founder, chairman and majority shareholder of Enterprise Products.- Philanthropy :...
, Oil Tycoon, Billionaire, and philanthropist. - Bryan HittBryan HittBryan Keith Hitt is the drummer for the rock band REO Speedwagon.Prior to his involvement with REO Speedwagon, Hitt played with Cher, Graham Nash, and The Spencer Davis Group. He also recorded with Nick Gilder, Gary Busey and Wang Chung.He joined the band's line up in 1990 for the release of album...
, Drummer for REO SpeedwagonREO SpeedwagonREO Speedwagon is an American rock band. Formed in 1967, the band grew in popularity during the 1970s and peaked in the early 1980s. Hi Infidelity is the group's most commercially successful album, selling over ten million copies and charting four Top 40 hits in the US...
. - John CampbellJohn Campbell- British political figures :* John Campbell, 1st Earl of Loudoun , Lord Chancellor of Scotland, President of the Privy Council* John Campbell, 2nd Duke of Argyll , Scottish soldier, Lord Steward, Lord Lieutenant of Surrey...
, Blues Guitarist - Charles A. RayCharles A. RayCharles Aaron Ray has been the U.S. Ambassador to Zimbabwe since 2009. He is a Foreign Service Officer, career member of the Senior Foreign Service, author, and retired U.S...
, U.S. diplomat
Outlying communities
- Aiken
- Spann's Chapel
- Mt. Herman
- Jericho
- Short
- James
- Folsom Chapel
- Dreka
- Neuville
Government and infrastructure
The City of Center was incorporated in 1893, however, this incorporation was dissolved and the city was reincorporated by means of another charter in 1901. The city developed and adopted a new Home Rule Charter on April 7, 1984. The City of Center operates under Home Rule Charter with a Council-Manager form of government. The governing body, the Center City Council, is composed of a Mayor, two council members elected "at-large" by city-wide elections and four members elected from single member districts. The Mayor and Council members serve staggered two year terms. The Mayor and Council are responsible for casting a vision and direction for the city, enacting legislation in the form of ordinances and resolutions, adopting and amending budgets, making appointments to the different boards and commissions and determining the policies of the City.The United States Postal Service
United States Postal Service
The United States Postal Service is an independent agency of the United States government responsible for providing postal service in the United States...
operates the Center Post Office.