|
|
CLEBURNE,
TEXAS Johnson
County Seat, North
Central Texas
Junction of US 67 and Hwy 171 and 174
51 miles
SW of Dallas
30 miles S of Fort
Worth
Population 26,005(2000) 22,205(1990)
|
History
in a Pecan ShellCleburne
started life as a crossroads with the east west road once connecting the forts
of Graham and Belknap and
the north/ south road being not far from the famous Chisholm Trail.
It
was a mustering point for troops joining the Confederacy and was first known as
Camp Henderson. It became a permanent settlement and after the Civil War
was chosen to be the Johnson County seat of government (after Wardville and Buchanan
failed to meet the state criterion of being centrally located. The town was renamed
after Patrick R. Cleburne, a Confederate General and became Johnson County’s third
seat.
Although the 1870 census counted less than 700 residents, in 20 years
it had grown to nearly 4,000.
The Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railroad
arrived in 1881, joining Cleburne with Temple
and in 1887 a second line connected to Weatherford.
With the construction of a roundhouse and machine shops for the Sante Fe Railroad
in the 1890s, Cleburne’s status rose to new heights. It later served as a stop
on the Fort Worth Interurban.
A railroad worker’s strike in 1922 forced
the governor to call in Texas Rangers to keep order in the city which was then
home to nearly 13,000 people.
Cleburne benefited from the postwar growth
of nearby Fort Worth.
Over the years a slow but steady growth resulted in a 1990 census count of over
22,000 residents. |
 |
Cleburne
Landmarks/AttractionsJohnson
County CourthouseThe
Layland Museum - Formerly
the Carnegie Library
Historic
Homes Tour - Several
1800s homes have been restored and are open for the Candlewalk Historic Home Tour
- Second Saturday in December Cleburne
State Park
12 miles SW of Cleburne. US 67, Park Rd. 21.
Admission.
800-792-1112
http://www.tpwd.state.tx.usActon
State Historic Site
Located
in Hood County
Texas' smallest state park - with a cemetery.
c/o Cleburne
State Park
5800 Park Rd 21
Cleburne TX 76031
817/645-4215
http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us |
Johnson
County Centennial Marker
2nd and Hillsboro Street, Cleburne City Park, Cleburne
Photo courtesy
Barclay
Gibson, October 2009 |
Site
of Old Picnic Grounds Historical Marker
Photo
courtesy Barclay
Gibson, September 2010 |
Santa Fe Shops
Postcard
courtesy www.rootsweb.com/%7Etxpstcrd/
See Texas
Railroads |
1914
bird's eye view of Cleburne, Texas
Postcard
courtesy www.rootsweb.com/%7Etxpstcrd/ |
East Henderson Street Baptist
Church
Postcard
courtesy www.rootsweb.com/%7Etxpstcrd/ |
Main
Street M.E. Church, Cleburne, Texas
Postcard
courtesy www.rootsweb.com/%7Etxpstcrd/
More Texas
Churches |
| | Esquire
Theatre in Cleburne
July 1985 photo courtesy Billy
Smith | |
|
Cleburne
Texas ForumThe
Esquire Theater of Cleburne
MY NAME IS MIKE RAY HARTMAN. I WAS BORN AND RAISED IN FORT WORTH. SINCE 1986,
I'VE BEEN A RESIDENT OF JOSHUA. WHEN OUR CHILDREN (BOTH GROWN NOW) WERE YOUNGER,
WE USED TO GO TO THE ESQUIRE AND SEE MOVIES FOR A $1.00, OR A $1.50...FROM MAYBE
THE LATE 80'S THROUGH THE EARLY 90'S. ONE OF MY LIFELONG DREAMS WAS TO BE A SINGER.
SOME-TIME, IN THE EARLY 90'S, THE ESQUIRE BECAME AN "OPRY". I WENT THERE, ONE
NIGHT, TO AUDITION. I REMEMBER SEEING A MAN NAMED NORMAN ABBOTT, SOMEONE I HAD
GONE TO THE SAME HIGH SCHOOL WITH (TRIMBLE TECH, FORT WORTH). HE WAS THEIR STEEL
GUITAR PLAYER. NOT TOO LONG AFTER THE AUDITION, I HEARD FROM A FRIEND AT WORK
THAT THE ESQUIRE HAD CLOSED. FORTUNATELY FOR ME, THE MANAGER OF A SMALLER OPRY,
IN OCEOLA, WAS PRESENT DURING MY AUDITION, AND CALLED ME TO SING AT HIS PLACE.
I DO, HOWEVER, WISH I COULD'VE SANG AT THE ESQUIRE. THOSE OLD THEATRES HAVE SO
MUCH ATMOSPHERE, AND GREAT ACOUSTICS, TOO. AS YOU KNOW, THE ESQUIRE LATER BECAME
A CHURCH. I HOPE THAT CHURCH WAS ABLE TO RELOCATE TO ANOTHER BUILDING, AFTER LEAVING
THE ESQUIRE. IT SADDENED ME TO SEE THE THEATRE DEMOLISHED. ON A PERSONAL NOTE...I
AM FULFILLING MY LIFELONG DREAM. I RETIRED FROM GENERAL MOTORS, IN JUNE 2006,
AFTER 36 YEARS SERVICE. A LITTLE OVER A YEAR BEFORE THAT, I PURCHASED A PORTABLE
SOUND SYSTEM, A CD PLAYER, AND BACKGROUND TRACKS. MY SPECIALTY BECAME MY FAVORITE
MUSIC, 50'S AND EARLY 60'S ROCK AND ROLL...WITH A LITTLE COUNTRY. SINCE JULY,
OF 2005, I HAVE BEEN THE THURSDAY NIGHT REGULAR ON THE GRANBURY
RIVERBOAT. I HAVE PERFORMED AT NEARLY ALL THE "OPRYS", HERE IN THE DALLAS/FT.WORTH,
AND SURROUNDING COUNTIES AREA. I ALSO SING AT FESTIVALS, RESTAURANTS, PRIVATE
PARTIES, NURSING HOMES, RETIREMENT COMMUNITIES, ETC. MY WIFE OF 31 YEARS(AND STILL
GOING) MANAGES ME AND ALSO RUNS THE SOUND. I APOLOGIZE FOR GETTING A LITTLE "LONG
WINDED", ON THIS E-MAIL. IT WAS A JOY FOR ME TO SHARE THIS WITH YOU. I HOPE I
DIDN'T BORE YOU. LONG LIVE OUR TEXAS
THEATRES...AND I WISH THEY WOULD QUIT TEARING THE DARN THINGS DOWN !! THANK
YOU. - MIKE RAY HARTMAN, Joshua, Texas, December 05, 2006
Book Hotel Here:
Cleburne
Hotels | More
Texas Hotels | |
| Book Hotel Here
- Expedia Affiliate Network | |
