Center Star, also known as Centre Star, or Centre (before the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

), is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a parcel of land that is not governed by a local general-purpose municipal corporation. (At p. 178.) They may be governed or serviced by an encompassing unit (such as a county) or another branch of the state (such as th ...

in Lauderdale County, in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

Alabama Alabama ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South, Deep Southern regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gu ...

History

Center Star is one of the oldest communities in Lauderdale County. The area was among lands claimed by both the

Chickasaw The Chickasaw ( ) are an Indigenous people of the Southeastern Woodlands, United States. Their traditional territory was in northern Mississippi, northwestern and northern Alabama, western Tennessee and southwestern Kentucky. Their language is ...

and

Cherokee The Cherokee (; , or ) people are one of the Indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands of the United States. Prior to the 18th century, they were concentrated in their homelands, in towns along river valleys of what is now southwestern ...

. On May 26, 1861, Edward A. O'Neal organized the "Calhoun Guards" (which became Company I of the

9th Regiment Alabama Infantry The 9th Alabama Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, military service, service, or administrative corps, specialisation. In Middle Ages, ...

) in Center Star. On May 9, 1864, Colonel William A. Johnson's 4th Alabama Cavalry fought with the

7th Illinois Volunteer Infantry Regiment The 7th Illinois Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Service 3 month enlistments The regiment was created in response to Battle of Fort Sumter and President Abraham Lincoln' ...

and the

9th Ohio Infantry The 9th Ohio Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment that was a part of the Union Army during the American Civil War. The members of the regiment were primarily of German descent and the unit was the first almost all-German unit to enter the ...

under the command of Colonel

Richard Rowett Richard Rowett (November 17, 1830 – July 13, 1887) was a leading political figure of nineteenth-century Illinois, a famous animal breeder and an officer in the Union Army during the American Civil War. He was born in East Looe, Cornwall in 1830 ...

. The earliest

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...

congregation in Lauderdale County was organized near Center Star in June 1818. A post office was established at Center Star on April 15, 1850, and was named for its central location on the "star route" (a remote postal route served by a private contractor). The post office was in operation until 1902. It was then reopened for one year in 1914.

Demographics

Center Star was listed on the 1880 U.S. Census as an unincorporated community with a population of 69. It was the only time it was listed on the census rolls.

Notable person

* Mark Narmore, songwriter. Wrote "

That's What I Love About Sunday "That's What I Love About Sunday" is a song written by Adam Dorsey and Mark Narmore, and recorded by American country music artist Craig Morgan. It was released in November 2004 as the first single from his album '' My Kind of Livin. In early ...

" and "

The Moon Over Georgia "The Moon Over Georgia" is a song written by Mark Narmore and recorded by American country music group Shenandoah. It was released in April 1991 as the fourth single from their album '' Extra Mile''. The song reached number 9 on the ''Billboard'' ...

" *

Spooner Oldham Dewey "Spooner" Lindon Oldham Jr. (born June 14, 1943) is an American songwriter and session musician. An organist, he recorded in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, at FAME Studios as part of the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section on such hit R&B songs as Percy ...

songwriter A songwriter is a person who creates musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music genre and film scoring. ...

and

session musician A session musician (also known as studio musician or backing musician) is a musician hired to perform in a recording session or a live performance. The term sideman is also used in the case of live performances, such as accompanying a reco ...

References

Unincorporated communities in Lauderdale County, Alabama Unincorporated communities in Alabama {{LauderdaleCountyAL-geo-stub