Center Plains

Center Plains is on Farm Road 145 nine miles west of Kress in southwestern Swisher County. Originally there were two separate communities, Auburn and Center Plains, in the area. The first local school was organized in 1893 and was located six miles west of Kress. The school occupied one other spot before in 1916 reaching its final location near what is now the site of the Center Plains Gin. The community of Auburn, to the north, was founded sometime before 1900 and had a school, a grocery store, and a blacksmith shop. In 1922 the two communities merged their schools and constructed a red brick schoolhouse. Many community affairs and church functions were held at this building. In 1947 the Center Plains school district was merged with the Kress district, but the old brick building continued to be used for various community functions. It, the gin, two stores, and surrounding farms made up the Center Plains community in the 1980s. In 2000 the population was forty.