Centerview, Texas

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Centerview, once called Raymond, is a rural community located on Farm Road 811 about ten miles east of Centerville in southeastern Leon County.

History

The settlement began in the late 1800s, and from 1886 to 1905 a post office operated under the name of Raymond. Joseph C. Hill and R. E. Burroughs served as postmasters. The population was twenty-five in 1890 and increased to thirty-five by 1896, according to the Texas State Gazetteer. Early pioneers included the Manning, Wells, Hoyt, and Hickman families. On August 15, 1928, property owner Richard E. Wood sold five acres to the Leon County school district number 42. Local tradition holds that residents conducted a public drawing to choose a name for the new school, and the name Centerview won the contest. Subsequently the area formerly known as Raymond became Centerview. New Salem Baptist Church served area farmers, and a cemetery was located near the churchyard. Highway maps of the 1930s also show a business, probably a roadside store originally built by early resident Larkin Tubb. In 1947 Centerview School closed, and students attended classes in Centerville. By the late 1900s Centerview was a dispersed rural community still served by the Baptist church, store, and a community center.