Star, Texas

Star is an unincorporated community in Mills County in Central Texas, United States.[1] According to the Handbook of Texas, the community had an estimated population of 85 in 2000.[2]

Star, Texas
Unincorporated community
The Star post office
The Star post office
Ridge is located in Texas
Ridge
Ridge
Ridge is located in the United States
Ridge
Ridge
Coordinates: 31°28′07″N 98°18′58″W
CountryUnited States
StateTexas
CountyMills
Elevation
1,401 ft (427 m)
Time zoneUTC-6 (Central (CST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-5 (CDT)
Area code325
GNIS feature ID1369107[1]

Geography

Star is located at the junction of U.S. Highway 84 and FM 1047 and North Simms Creek in east-central Mills County, east of Goldthwaite and west of Evant. It is located near the Hamilton County line.[3]

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by relatively high temperatures and evenly distributed precipitation throughout the year. The Köppen Climate System describes the weather as humid subtropical, and uses the abbreviation Cfa.[4]

History
Star School building
Star School cornerstone
WPA plate fixed to Star School building

The community was laid out by Alec Street in the mid-1880s and was named for nearby Star Mountain. Street ran a store and a gin in the community. A post office was established in 1886 with Calvin Skinner as its first postmaster.[3] In 1890, the first public road opened from Star to Goldthwaite. By 1895, the community had a saloon, several grocery stores, and a drug store. A tornado struck Star on May 5, 1904. Two people were killed and five homes were completely destroyed.[5] The community recovered and a permanent church was built in 1905. In 1910, a bank opened.[2] A four-room, two-story stone school building was completed in 1913. A hailstorm damaged homes, businesses, and the school on April 22, 1924. Star's bank was robbed in 1928 and the robber got away with about $3,000 and several valuables. Four years later, during the Great Depression, the bank was sold to the Trent State Bank in Goldthwaite.[5] By 1939, Star had eight businesses operating in the community. That same year, three area schools – McGirk, Center City, and Hurst Ranch – consolidated with Star. In 1940, the W.P.A. erected a new school designed by Wyatt C. Hedrick for the Star Independent School District; it is the only school built in Mills County by the W.P.A.[6] The population stood at around 170 in the mid-1940s. The rising popularity of the automobile caused a decline in the number of local businesses. By 1980, the community had an estimated population of 85. That figure remained steady through 2000.[2] It went up to 110 in 2010.[3]

Although Star is unincorporated, it does have a post office with the zip code 76880.[7]

Star, Texas, Postmasters[8][9]
Name Location Appointment Date
William Ellis Reid Star, Hamilton, Texas 5 Aug 1884
Henry CampbellStar, Hamilton, Texas3 Nov 1885
Calvin SkinnerStar, Hamilton, Texas26 Jul 1886
Elliott A. StreetStar, Hamilton, Texas20 Jul 1892
Elliott A. StreetStar, Mills, Texas20 Jul 1892
Cademus K. JonesStar, Mills, Texas5 Dec 1895
Ulysses E. G. DyerStar, Mills, Texas23 Jan 1902
Robert W. GarrettStar, Mills, Texas4 Nov 1903
Robert W. BarrStar, Mills, Texas24 Feb 1912
David J. HawkinsStar, Mills, Texas25 Sep 1913
Wm A. HawkingStar, Mills, Texas15 Oct 1915
Joseph D. TumlinsonStar, Mills, Texas21 Mar 1918
Frances M. BrookingStar, Mills, Texas14 Jun 1919
Bina WeathersStar, Mills, Texas18 Nov 1920
Fulton F. HenryStar, Mills, Texas7 Apr 1921 acting
Fulton F. HenryStar, Mills, Texas12 Jan 1922 appointed
Dan WaggonerStar, Mills, Texas8 Aug 1922 (acting – resigned)
R. Q. ManningStar, Mills, Texas8 Aug 1922 acting
R. Q. ManningStar, Mills, Texas26 Dec 1922 appointed
Richard Q. ManningStar, Mills, Texas9 Feb 1924 appointed
Artie RickelStar, Mills, Texas11 Feb 1925 acting
Artie RickelStar, Mills, Texas6 Jan 1926 appointed
Dan WaggonerStar, Mills, Texas5 Oct 1929 acting
Dan WaggonerStar, Mills, Texas22 Oct 1929 appointed
Daniel WagonerStar, Mills, Texas3 Oct 1930 appointed
Miss Hattie BarrStar, Mills, Texas17 Jan 1936 acting
Miss Hattie J. BarrStar, Mills, Texas31 Jul 1936 confirmed
Mrs. Burt BallStar, Mills, Texas1 Oct 1942 acting
Mrs. Burt C. BallStar, Mills, Texas20 Apr 1943 confirmed
Mrs. Rose L. Soules (Sheldon)Star, Mills, Texas30 Jun 1955 acting
Mrs. Rose L. McCasland (Sheldon)Star, Mills, Texas5 Aug 1957 appointed
Cleta C. HuntStar, Mills, Texas27 Aug 1988 OIC
Cleta C. HuntStar, Mills, Texas18 Sep 1993 appointed
Ivory L. GoffStar, Mills, Texas26 Feb 1999 OIC
Jennifer D. SmithStar, Mills, Texas22 May 1999 appointed
Kay SherwoodStar, Mills, Texas6 Sep 2001 OIC
Lynette K. FrankeStar, Mills, Texas17 Nov 2001 appointed
Cindy PowersStar, Mills, Texas19 Mar 2004 OIC
Kay S. Sherwood (Joyce Kay Sutherland) Star, Mills, Texas 24 Jul 2004 appointed

Education

The community of Star is served by the Star Independent School District and is home to the Star School Tigers.

Notable person

References
  1. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Star, Texas
  2. "Star, Texas". The Handbook of Texas online. Retrieved September 9, 2009.
  3. "Star, Texas". Texas Escapes Online Magazine. Retrieved March 19, 2023.
  4. Climate Summary for Star, Texas
  5. "Star Historically Speaking". Written by Billie Gail Soules Day in 1948. Star Historical Museum. Archived from the original on July 28, 2011. Retrieved September 9, 2009.
  6. Blackwell, Hartal Langford (1976). Mills County—the Way it Was. Mills County Historical Commission. p. 143.
  7. Zip Code Lookup Archived June 15, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  8. "Postmasters by City - Postmaster Finder - Who we are - About.usps.com". about.usps.com. Retrieved March 20, 2023.
  9. Record of Appointment of Postmasters, 1832-1971; Microfilm publication M841, 145 rolls; NAID: 596306 and 17027522; Records of the Post Office Department, 1773 - 1971, Record Group 28; The National Archives in Washington, D.C.
  10. "Jim Jeter Adresses Decora Club". Victoria Advocate. Victoria, Texas. March 29, 1961. p. 3. Retrieved June 9, 2022 – via Newspapers.com. closed access
  11. "James Jeter". IMDb. Retrieved April 2, 2023.
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