You'll find the spellings theatre and centre occasionally in the US. It is probably a sign of some atttempt at being high class.

No, Faldage, the spelling more so represents the forgiving nature of the southern South as opposed to the more grudgeful northern North. Despite the atrocities visited upon us by the bloody British in the past, we are a most forgiving people and I write you from Birmingham, which is
sixty miles down the road from Centre, Alabama where only a few confused hill people pronounce it cin-tree.

I'm not through...