Centerville
[Not to be confused with Centerville in White Pine County]
Centerville, named for its position near the center of Carson Valley, was established around 1900 after the completion of the new Brockliss Road. In 1901, two blacksmith shops were opened, one by John Reimann of Waterloo and one by Henry Krummes (though he moved on after two months). Before the end of the year, the "Pride of the West" Saloon was opened by Chris Berning in a building moved from Virginia City. By the end of 1906, Centerville included a general store and the next year, a new schoolhouse.
Though Centerville never grew to be more than a small crossroads, it did gain a new enterprise in 1924: a cheese factory run by the Douglas Cheese Association. Cheese from Centerville was awarded a gold medal at the Pacific Coast Dairy Show in Oakland, California the following year. Despite this, Centerville began to diminish in importance as nearby Minden grew. The store was destroyed by fire in 1925, and the school closed in 1929 with students being bussed into Minden. Even the cheese factory closed in 1931, leaving only the old bar which continued to operate under various names. Finally, the Valley Bar too was severely damaged by fire on March 26, 2006, and ultimately torn down that August. Today only Centerville Lane, a major roadway, still bears the name.
