Cleburne is a city in and the
county seat
A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...
of
Johnson County, Texas
Johnson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 179,927. Its county seat is Cleburne. Johnson County is named for Middleton Johnson, a Texas Ranger, soldier, and politician. Johnson Cou ...
, United States. As of the
2010 census, its population was 29,337.
The city is named in honor of
Patrick Cleburne
Major-General Patrick Ronayne Cleburne ( ; March 16, 1828November 30, 1864) was a senior officer of the Confederate States Army who commanded infantry in the Western Theater of the American Civil War.
Born in Ireland, Cleburne served in the 4 ...
, a Confederate general.
Lake Pat Cleburne, the reservoir that provides water to the city and surrounding area, is also named after him.
History
![Main Street, Cleburne, TX, 1910s cph](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/63/Main_Street%2C_Cleburne%2C_TX%2C_1910s_cph.3b18657.jpg)
Cleburne is Johnson County's third county seat (the first being
Wardville, now under Lake Pat Cleburne). It was formerly known as Camp Henderson, a temporary
Civil War
A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country).
The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...
outpost from which Johnson County soldiers would depart for war (most of them served under General Cleburne). The city was formally incorporated in 1871.
Cleburne was near the earliest road in the county. The location featured water from
West Buffalo Creek, making it a stop for cattlemen from the
Chisholm Trail
The Chisholm Trail was a trail used in the post-Civil War era to drive cattle overland from ranches in Texas to Kansas railheads. The trail was established by Black Beaver, a Lenape guide and rancher, and his friend Jesse Chisholm, a Cheroke ...
.
In August 1886, the Texas
Farmers' Alliance
The Farmers' Alliance was an organized agrarian economic movement among American farmers that developed and flourished ca. 1875. The movement included several parallel but independent political organizations — the National Farmers' Alliance and ...
met at Lee's Academy
and adopted a 17-point political resolution, commonly known as the Cleburne Demands, which was the first major document of the agrarian revolt occurring at the end of the late 19th century.
[, p.46-49.]
In 1900, Cleburne was the site of the founding convention of the
Texas State Federation of Labor.
Cleburne was primarily an agricultural center and county seat until the
Santa Fe Railroad
The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway , often referred to as the Santa Fe or AT&SF, was one of the larger railroads in the United States. The railroad was chartered in February 1859 to serve the cities of Atchison and Topeka, Kansas, and S ...
opened a major facility there in 1898. During this time, the population boomed, as it became a sizable city for the area with over 12,000 residents by 1920. The Chicago, Texas and Mexican Central Railway connected Cleburne to Dallas in 1882. Two other railroads had terminals in Cleburne. The Dallas, Cleburne, and Southwestern Railway completed a route to Egan in 1902, and the Trinity and Brazos Valley, nicknamed the Boll Weevil, operated from Cleburne from 1904 to 1924.
Cleburne was the site of a
prisoner-of-war camp for German soldiers during World War 2. The POWs worked as laborers on local farms.
In 1985, the city was the petitioner in the
U.S. Supreme Court
The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point o ...
case ''
City of Cleburne v. Cleburne Living Center, Inc.
''City of Cleburne v. Cleburne Living Center, Inc.'', 473 U.S. 432 (1985), was a U.S. Supreme Court case involving discrimination against the intellectually disabled.
In 1980, Cleburne Living Center, Inc. (CLC) submitted a permit application see ...
'' after being sued over a
special-use permit A special-use permit authorizes land uses that are allowed and encouraged by the ordinance and declared harmonious with the applicable zoning district.
Purpose
Land use is governed by a set of regulations generally known as ordinances or municipa ...
.
Cleburne is on the fringe of the
Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex
The Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, officially designated Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget, is a conurbated metropolitan statistical area in the U.S. state of Texas encompassing 11 counties and anchore ...
. Growth in the area can be primarily attributed to
suburbanization
Suburbanization is a population shift from central urban areas into suburbs, resulting in the formation of (sub)urban sprawl. As a consequence of the movement of households and businesses out of the city centers, low-density, peripheral urba ...
. It is the second-most populous city in Johnson County (slightly less populous than
Burleson).
Tornado
On May 15, 2013, Cleburne was hit by a powerful tornado that cut a mile-wide path through part of the city and damaged about 600 homes and two schools. The National Weather Service rated it EF-3, which has winds between . No deaths or severe injuries were reported.
Geography
Cleburne is west of the center of Johnson County, south of the center of
Fort Worth
Fort Worth is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Texas and the 13th-largest city in the United States. It is the county seat of Tarrant County, covering nearly into four other counties: Denton, Johnson, Parker, and Wise. According ...
. It is bordered to the north by
Joshua
Joshua () or Yehoshua ( ''Yəhōšuaʿ'', Tiberian: ''Yŏhōšuaʿ,'' lit. 'Yahweh is salvation') ''Yēšūaʿ''; syr, ܝܫܘܥ ܒܪ ܢܘܢ ''Yəšūʿ bar Nōn''; el, Ἰησοῦς, ar , يُوشَعُ ٱبْنُ نُونٍ '' Yūšaʿ ...
and to the east by
Keene.
U.S. Route 67
U.S. Route 67 is a major north–south U.S. highway which extends for 1,560 miles (2,511 km) in the Central United States. The southern terminus of the route is at the United States-Mexico border in Presidio, Texas, where it continues so ...
runs through the north side of the city on a freeway bypass; the highway leads east to
Alvarado and west to
Stephenville. State Highways
171
Year 171 (Roman numerals, CLXXI) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Severus and Herennianus (or, less frequently, year 92 ...
and
174
Year 174 ( CLXXIV) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Gallus and Flaccus (or, less frequently, year 927 '' Ab urbe condi ...
run through the center of Cleburne on Main Street. Highway 171 leads northwest to
Cresson and southeast to
Hillsboro, while Highway 174 leads north to
Burleson and southwest to
Meridian
Meridian or a meridian line (from Latin ''meridies'' via Old French ''meridiane'', meaning “midday”) may refer to
Science
* Meridian (astronomy), imaginary circle in a plane perpendicular to the planes of the celestial equator and horizon
* ...
.
According to the
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...
, Cleburne has a total area of , of which are land and , or 8.86%, are covered by water.
East and West
Buffalo Creek run through the center of Cleburne, flowing south to the
Nolan River
Nolan River is a river in north central Texas, running through Johnson County and Hill County and is part of the Brazos River drainage basin. The Nolan's headwaters are in farm land in northwest Johnson County. The river runs generally parallel ...
and part of the
Brazos River
The Brazos River ( , ), called the ''Río de los Brazos de Dios'' (translated as "The River of the Arms of God") by early Spanish explorers, is the 11th-longest river in the United States at from its headwater source at the head of Blackwater Dr ...
watershed.
Demographics
2020 census
As of the
2020 United States census
The United States census of 2020 was the twenty-fourth decennial United States census. Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2020. Other than a pilot study during the 2000 census, this was the first U.S. census to of ...
, there were 31,352 people, 10,982 households, and 7,441 families residing in the city.
2010 census
According to the US
census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...
, 29,337 people were residing in the city. The racial makeup of the city was 91.7% White, 3.71% African American, 0.7% Native American, 0.8% Asian, 0.5% Pacific Islander, and 1.0% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 28.8% of the population.
The 10,915 households averaged 2.65 persons each. Owner-occupied housing was at 61.3%, with the median value of owner-occupied housing at $103,900. Median gross rent from 2014-2018 was $898.
The median income for a household in the city from 2014–2018 was $50,253.
Attractions
The City of Cleburne Parks and Recreation Department maintains Splash Station, a small water park for people of all ages.
The Cleburne Sports Complex contains seven baseball/softball fields, two football fields, and 20 soccer fields.
The Depot at Cleburne Station
The Depot at Cleburne Station is a baseball park located in Cleburne, Texas, United States that opened on May 18, 2017. Seating at the ballpark consists of over 1,750 fixed seats, bleachers, grass berm seating, and several group seating areas. Th ...
is a 1,750-seat baseball stadium, home to the
Cleburne Railroaders
The Cleburne Railroaders are a professional baseball team based in Cleburne, Texas, that plays in the American Association of Professional Baseball, an official Partner League of Major League Baseball. The team, which began play in 2017, plays i ...
of the
American Association of Independent Professional Baseball
The American Association of Professional Baseball is an independent professional baseball league founded in 2005. It operates in the central United States and Canada, mostly in cities not served by Major League Baseball teams or their minor lea ...
.
Plaza Theatre Company is a 158-seat theatre-in-the-round, which operates year-round in
Cleburne's historic downtown. The troupe provides family-friendly musicals and comedies, and has been the recipient of numerous awards for theatrical excellence since opening in November 2006.
The
Johnson County Chisholm Trail Museum is an outdoor museum located in the western part of Cleburne at the site of Wardville, the original county seat of Johnson County, established in 1854. The original courthouse there is the oldest log courthouse in Texas. It has a one-room schoolhouse, a jail with the original iron doors from the Wardville jail, a blacksmith shop, an original mule barn, and a restored stagecoach from two early John Wayne movies. There is also the Big Bear Native American Museum. It was recently named as one of Texas' top 10 open-air museums.
Other local museums include the Cleburne Railroad Museum and the
Layland Museum.
Cleburne State Park is in a hilly area west of the city center. It has fishing in Cedar Lake, camping, swimming, and hiking trails.
Businesses
Major employers include
Walmart
Walmart Inc. (; formerly Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.) is an American multinational retail corporation that operates a chain of hypermarkets (also called supercenters), discount department stores, and grocery stores from the United States, headquarter ...
, which maintains a Supercenter retail outlet and a distribution center. Together, those facilities employ 914 workers. The
Cleburne Independent School District
Cleburne Independent School District is a public school district based in Cleburne, Texas.
In 2009, the school district was rated "academically acceptable" by the Texas Education Agency.
History
On July 1, 1988, Liberty Chapel Independent Sch ...
is a major employer with 968 employees. Local government is also a major employer, providing 348 jobs, and Johnson County has 598 employees in the city. Johns Manville, Texas Resources Harris Methodist Hospital, Greenbrier rail service (operating at the rail yards previously occupied by Burlington Northern Santa Fe), Supreme Corporation of Texas, and Broan-Nutone are among other major private-sector employers. A recent natural gas boom has now brought related companies to the district and surrounding areas.
![Maj](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b7/Maj._Gen._Patrick_Cleburne.jpg)
Fun Town RV, the nation's largest single-location towable RV dealer employs 412 at its corporate headquarters and sales office.
Education
The city is served by the
Cleburne Independent School District
Cleburne Independent School District is a public school district based in Cleburne, Texas.
In 2009, the school district was rated "academically acceptable" by the Texas Education Agency.
History
On July 1, 1988, Liberty Chapel Independent Sch ...
, with
Cleburne High School
Cleburne High School is a public high school located in the city of Cleburne, Texas. The school is in the Cleburne Independent School District.
History
A high school was occupied in Cleburne in the 1910s, replacing an older schoolhouse.
The ...
as the only high school. The district also maintains an alternative school, the Team School, and Phoenix, which is the disciplinary school. The district operates two middle schools for grades 6 though 8: A.D. Wheat Middle School and Lowell Smith Middle School. Elementary-level schools serving the Cleburne area are Adams, Coleman, Cooke, Gerard, Irving, Marti. and Santa Fe (kindergarten through grade 5). A private school
Cleburne Christian Academy serving age 4 through grade 12 is also available.
Hill College
Hill College is a public community college in Hillsboro, Texas. It opened its doors in 1923, one year before North Central Texas College, which is the oldest continuously-operating community college in Texas because Hill College was closed d ...
's Johnson County Campus is in Cleburne.
Cleburne High School sports
Cleburne High School is in UIL district 8-5A. Cleburne's most notable sports stadium, the
Yellow Jacket Stadium
Yellow is the color between green and orange on the spectrum of light. It is evoked by light with a dominant wavelength of roughly 575585 nm. It is a primary color in subtractive color systems, used in painting or color printing. In the R ...
is nicknamed "the Rock". It is primarily made of stone and was constructed by the Public Works Administration workers in 1934. Football and soccer are played on this field.
Cleburne High School fields teams in the following sports:
* Basketball, boys and girls
* Football
* Softball, girls
* Volleyball, girls
* Track, boys and girls
* Cross country, boys and girls
* Tennis, boys and girls
* Power lifting
* Soccer, boys and girls
* Baseball
* Swimming, boys and girls
* Golf, boys and girls
Cleburne High School has these arts programs:
* Marching band
* Concert band
* Jazz band
* Choir
* Drama
* Dance
Notable people
*
William H. Bledsoe, a member of both houses of Texas legislature from
Lubbock
Lubbock ( )
is the 10th-most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and the seat of government of Lubbock County. With a population of 260,993 in 2021, the city is also the 85th-most populous in the United States. The city is in the northw ...
, 1915 to 1929; co-author of bill establishing
Texas Tech University
Texas Tech University (Texas Tech, Tech, or TTU) is a public research university in Lubbock, Texas. Established on , and called Texas Technological College until 1969, it is the main institution of the five-institution Texas Tech University Sys ...
, was born in Cleburne in 1869
*
Johnny Carroll
Johnny Carroll (born John Lewis Carrell; October 23, 1937January 13, 1995) was an American rockabilly musician.
Biography
Born John Lewis Carrell in Cleburne, Texas, Carrell's last name was printed incorrectly as Carroll in his first recording ...
, a rockabilly singer, recorded for Sun Records, Decca Records, and Warner Bros
*
Pat Culpepper
John Patrick Culpepper Jr. (born 1941) is a former American football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at Northern Illinois University from 1976 to 1979, compiling a record of 14–29–1.
A native of Johnson County, Texas, ...
, All-American linebacker for the
University of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas. It was founded in 1883 and is the oldest institution in the University of Texas System. With 40,916 undergraduate students, 11,075 ...
, was inducted into the Longhorn Hall of Honor in 1994 and to the Texas High School Football Hall of Fame in 2010, along with
Drew Brees
Drew Christopher Brees (; born January 15, 1979) is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 20 seasons. A member of the New Orleans Saints for most of his career, Brees is the NFL leader in ...
*
Donnie Dacus
James O. "Donnie" Dacus (born October 12, 1951, in Pasadena, Texas) is an American guitarist, backing vocalist, actor, songwriter, and co- producer. He has been a member of the rock bands Chicago and Badfinger.
Early life
Dacus grew up in Cleb ...
, former guitarist for
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
, image_map =
, map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago
, coordinates =
, coordinates_footnotes =
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name ...
*
Dillon Gee
Dillon Kyle Gee (born April 28, 1986) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Mets, Kansas City Royals, Texas Rangers and Minnesota Twins. In addition, Gee pitched for the ...
, pitcher for the
New York Mets
The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major league ...
,
Minnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central Division. The team is named after the Twin Cities area w ...
, and
Texas Rangers
*
Joe Keeble, football player
*
David "Benedict" McWilliams, a former player and head football coach of the
University of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas. It was founded in 1883 and is the oldest institution in the University of Texas System. With 40,916 undergraduate students, 11,075 ...
and head coach at
Texas Tech University
Texas Tech University (Texas Tech, Tech, or TTU) is a public research university in Lubbock, Texas. Established on , and called Texas Technological College until 1969, it is the main institution of the five-institution Texas Tech University Sys ...
, was raised in Cleburne
*
Spike Owen
Spike Dee Owen (born April 19, 1961) is an American former shortstop in Major League Baseball who played for the Seattle Mariners (1983–86), Boston Red Sox (1986–88), Montreal Expos (1989–92), New York Yankees (1993) and California Angels ...
, a former Major League Baseball shortstop
*
Derrell Palmer
Derrell Palmer (August 27, 1922 – February 22, 2009) was an American football tackle who played eight seasons in the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) and in the National Football League (NFL), mainly with the Cleveland Browns.
Palmer gr ...
, a 1950s
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference ( ...
lineman
*
Randy Rogers
Randy Rogers Band is an American country music band from San Marcos, Texas. The band is composed of Randy Rogers (lead vocals), Geoffrey Hill (guitar), Jon Richardson (bass guitar), Brady Black (fiddle), Les Lawless (drums), and Todd Stewart (gui ...
, singer and front man of
Randy Rogers Band
Randy Rogers Band is an American country music band from San Marcos, Texas. The band is composed of Randy Rogers (lead vocals), Geoffrey Hill (guitar), Jon Richardson (bass guitar), Brady Black (fiddle), Les Lawless (drums), and Todd Stewart (gui ...
*
Del Sharbutt, radio and television announcer, songwriter, and composer of a popular
Campbell's Soup
Campbell Soup Company, doing business as Campbell's, is an American processed food and snack company. The company is most closely associated with its flagship canned soup products; however, through mergers and acquisitions, it has grown to becom ...
jingle, was born in Cleburne
*
Barbara Staff
Barbara Ruth Staff (August 26, 1924 – July 29, 2019) was an American political activist for the Republican Party who was one of three co-chairs of the 1976 presidential primary campaign for Ronald Reagan in Texas, along with Ernest Angelo Jr ...
, co-chair of the 1976
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...
presidential campaign
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
*President (education), a leader of a college or university
* President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese fu ...
in Texas, was born in Cleburne
*
Anne Stratton, composer
*
Claude Porter White, composer
Climate
The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the
Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...
system, Cleburne has a
humid subtropical climate
A humid subtropical climate is a zone of climate characterized by hot and humid summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between latitudes 25° and 40° ...
, ''Cfa'' on climate maps.
See also
*
The Greater Cleburne Carnegie Players
References
External links
City of Cleburne official websiteHistory of Cleburne in the Handbook of Texas
{{authority control
Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex
Cities in Texas
Cities in Johnson County, Texas
County seats in Texas
Populated places established in 1867
1867 establishments in Texas