Star is an unincorporated community in Mills County in Central Texas. According to the Handbook of Texas, the community had an estimated population of 85 in 2000.[1]
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Star is located at (31.4684944, -98.3161482). It is situated at the junction of U.S. Highway 84 and FM 1047 in east central Mills County, east of Goldthwaite and west of Evant.[2]
The community was laid out by Alec Street in the mid-1880s and was named for nearby Star Mountain. A post office was established in 1886 with Calvin Skinner as its first postmaster.[2] 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.[3] The community recovered and a permanent church was built in 1905. In 1910, a bank opened.[1] 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.[3] By 1939, Star had a numerous variety of businesses operating in the community. That same year, three area schools – McGirk, Center City, and Hurst Ranch – consolidated with Star. 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.[1]
Although Star is unincorporated, it does have a post office with the zip code of 76880.[4] The Star Historical Museum is the community's main attraction.
The community of Star is served by the Star Independent School District and home to the Star School (Texas) Tigers.
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