Cleburne Town Square

Traces its beginning to 1854 when first house, a log cabin, was built here near a good spring. County seat was bodily moved by wagon to this place (then called Camp Henderson) in 1867, and renamed to honor Patrick Cleburne, a Confederate general under whom many local Civil War veterans had served. Cleburne's growth has been rapid, particularly in the field of commerce, since 1876. The Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railroad line from Galveston to Fort Worth passed through Cleburne in 1881. A short time later, new branches connected the town with Dallas and Weatherford. In 1898, the railroad's workshops were located here and development of Cleburne as an industrial center began. By 1950, Cleburne boasted a steel foundry, milk processing plants, ladies' garment factory, lime plant, chair factory, battery plant and the state's largest railroad construction and repair shops. Typical of other American towns, outward expansion found the original business district taking on a neglected appearance. In 1968, a group called "Our Town, Inc." became concerned with this deterioration and enlisted citizens' aid to help reverse the trend and restore the downtown district. (1970)

Cleburne Town Square is a historical marker in Cleburne, Johnson County, dedicated in 1970. It is one of 71 historical markers documented in Johnson County in the Texas Historical Commission Atlas, among 139 historic sites cataloged across the county.

The site sits at 32.3471, -97.3865 near Cleburne. The nearest cataloged historic site is Johnson, Middleton T., Colonel; General Patrick R. Cleburne (historical marker), about under a tenth of a mile away. Others within a short drive include Johnson County Courthouse, Confederate Soldiers, and Wright Building.

This record corresponds to Texas Historical Commission Atlas #5251000915. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.