Villa Verde

Camp Verde is on the north bank of Verde Creek six miles southwest of Center Point in southeastern Kerr County. It grew around the Williams community store, established adjacent to Camp Verde qv in 1857 in order to serve the needs of soldiers stationed there. It is reported that the primary purpose of the store was to provide liquor to the soldiers because regulations prohibited the sale of intoxicants within the camp. When Williams's health failed in 1858, the store was acquired by Charles Schreiner , then a young rancher in the nearby Turtle Creek area, who had recently immigrated from Germany. Since the store was open only on army paydays, Schreiner and his brother-in-law, Caspar Real, supplemented the business by contracting with the federal government to supply wood and beef to the military post. A post office and store continued to provide irregular service to area inhabitants after the military camp was abandoned. Camp Verde's first post office was established in 1858, probably operated from Schreiner's store. It discontinued operation in 1866. Charles C. Kelley served as postmaster when the post office was reopened at a different location in 1887. In 1892, however, it too was closed. Walter S. Nowlin reestablished the store and post office in 1899. Both remained in operation in the mid-1980s. In 1974 Camp Verde's population was estimated to be forty-one. That figure was still recorded through 2000.