Center Point is a ghost town

Ghost town

A ghost town is an abandoned town or city. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economic activity that supported it has failed, or due to natural or human-caused disasters such as floods, government actions, uncontrolled lawlessness, war, or nuclear disasters...

 settled in 1865 by freed slaves. It is located in Camp County

Camp County, Texas

As of the census of 2000, there were 11,549 people, 4,336 households, and 3,156 families residing in the county. The population density was 58 people per square mile . There were 5,228 housing units at an average density of 26 per square mile...

 in the U.S. state

U.S. state

A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...

 of 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...

, southeast of Pittsburg

Pittsburg, Texas

Pittsburg is a city located in Camp County, Texas. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 4,347. It is the county seat of Camp County. It is best known as the home of the giant poultry producer Pilgrim's Pride and the home of racing legend Carroll Shelby...

 at the intersection of Farm to Market Road 2057 and County Road 4247. Center Point is the birthplace of mezzo-soprano

Mezzo-soprano

A mezzo-soprano is a type of classical female singing voice whose range lies between the soprano and the contralto singing voices, usually extending from the A below middle C to the A two octaves above...

 Barbara Smith Conrad

Barbara Smith Conrad

Barbara Smith Conrad is an American operatic mezzo-soprano of international acclaim. Born Barbara Smith, she was raised in Center Point near Pittsburg, Texas. In 1957, Barbara Conrad became the focus of a racial controversy revolving around her role in a student opera at The University of Texas at...

. In 1979, Recorded Texas Historic Landmark

Recorded Texas Historic Landmark

Recorded Texas Historic Landmark is a designation awarded by the Texas Historical Commission for historically and architecturally significant properties in the state of Texas....

 number 9790 was designated to commemorate the founding of Center Point.

Settlement

Center Point was settled by freed slaves in 1865 as one of the Freedman's settlements that resulted from the Emancipation Proclamation

Emancipation Proclamation

The Emancipation Proclamation is an executive order issued by United States President Abraham Lincoln on January 1, 1863, during the American Civil War using his war powers. It proclaimed the freedom of 3.1 million of the nation's 4 million slaves, and immediately freed 50,000 of them, with nearly...

. The origin of the settlement's name is said to be from Farm to Market Road 2057 crossing County Road 4247. The Center Point Baptist Church was established in 1873. The community supported a brick kiln, sawmill and cotton gin.

School

A one-room school established in 1887 served thirty-one black children, during each 100-day term. The school, however, was initially not a very good one. Later school bonds improvements brought the educational institution up in 1916 to a four-room building, raising the school quality to one of the best in Camp County by 1936. The first school principals on the 14-acre campus were Mr. and Mrs. L.B. Cash. At its peak, the school accommodated 279 students. Because of declining community population and, thereby, enrollment, the school consolidated with Pittsburg Independent School District

Pittsburg Independent School District

Pittsburg Independent School District is a public school district based in Pittsburg, Texas .In addition to Pittsburg, the district serves the town of Rocky Mound as well as all of Camp County with the exception of a very small area that lies in the Gilmer Independent School District...

 in 1955. In 1996, Recorded Texas Historic Landmark number 9791 was designated to commemorate the school.

Notable people

Mezzo-soprano

Mezzo-soprano

A mezzo-soprano is a type of classical female singing voice whose range lies between the soprano and the contralto singing voices, usually extending from the A below middle C to the A two octaves above...

 Barbara Smith Conrad

Barbara Smith Conrad

Barbara Smith Conrad is an American operatic mezzo-soprano of international acclaim. Born Barbara Smith, she was raised in Center Point near Pittsburg, Texas. In 1957, Barbara Conrad became the focus of a racial controversy revolving around her role in a student opera at The University of Texas at...

 was born in Center Point in 1940. Conrad has performed with opera companies around the world. She has sung at the White House

White House

The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...

, and performed for Pope John Paul II

Pope John Paul II

Blessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...

 during his 1995 New York City

New York City

New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

visit. She credits the Baptist church in Center Point as the origins of her love of music.