Union Center, the Town

[W. Gray]

Only two years earlier, Howard City citizens were having a difficult time gathering enough donations to build the first courthouse on Wabash street. The town was trying to fulfill a promise made during the election challenge for the county seat. Howard City was named in the Howard County division law as the county seat but Elk Falls and Longton unsuccessfully challenged.

A citizen of Union Center, the town, offered the county $1,000 to locate the Elk County courthouse in his town. While the courthouse does not have to be built in the county seat, county commissioners turned him down.

Union Center, the town, was located about nine miles south of the Greenwood County line, about five miles west of the future K-99, and ten miles east of the Butler County line on the east bank of the Elk River.

The spelling in the newspaper clipping is "Union Center." On the state map of Howard County, both the town and the township are spelled "Union Centre."

At one time, I read that Union Centre Township was so named because it was at the time in the geographical center of the United States. I have never been able to confirm that interesting bit of information.