Site of Centerville

Centerville's time as county seat was short. After the legislature cut Henderson County down in March 1848, the new center fell between North and South Twin creeks, James H. Starr gave 100 acres, and voters chose the site. The first court met there on September 11, 1848. A post office opened in January 1849 and was discontinued that June. The Handbook of Texas says the county's archives went back to Buffalo by spring 1849, and Athens became the seat in 1850. By 1991 the abandoned townsite lay on the shore of Cedar Creek Lake.

What the plaque says

Site of Centerville Replaced Buffalo as county seat, 1848, due to central location in county; on land donated by James Harper Starr (1809-90), Texas statesman. Clerk's records were kept in a log cabin courthouse. When county was reduced in area, 1850, county seat was moved to Athens, and Centerville died. (1973)

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Purtis Creek State Park — 5.5 mi
  A 1,582-acre park straddling the Henderson and Van Zandt county line, built around a 355-acre lake with no-wake fishing, borrowed tackle, a 4.1-mile hike-and-bike trail and a nature path.
• Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center — 20 mi
  A Texas Parks and Wildlife hatchery and visitor center in Athens where visitors can borrow tackle and fish a stocked pond, watch native species in gallery tanks and ride a tram around the hatchery.
• Petroleum Industry Park — 28 mi
  The pipes and drilling tower mark where a city water well struck oil on June 9, 1894, the start of the first Texas field to produce oil and gas in important quantities.

More markers nearby

• Ham (Pauline) — 1.9 mi
• Roddy Lodge No. 734, A.F. & A.M. — 2.9 mi
• First Presbyterian Church of Mabank — 2.9 mi
• Mabank — 3.3 mi