Cleburne, Texas
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Cleburne (Template:IPAc-en Template:Respell<ref>The pronunciation differs from that of its namesake, whose name was pronounced Template:IPAc-en Template:Respell.</ref>) is a city in and the county seat of Johnson County, Texas, United States. As of the 2020 census, its population was 31,352. The city is named in honor of Patrick Cleburne, a Confederate general.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Lake Pat Cleburne, the reservoir that provides water to the city and surrounding area, is also named after him.
History
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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 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.<ref name="HBTO"/>
In August 1886, the Texas Farmers' Alliance met at Lee's Academy<ref name="HBTO">Template:Cite web</ref> 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.<ref name="moment">Template:Citation, p.46-49.</ref>
In 1900, Cleburne was the site of the founding convention of the Texas State Federation of Labor.<ref>Ruth Alice Allen 1889–1979. Chapters in the history of organized labor in Texas The University of Texas publication #4143 November 15, 1941 Austin, TX: University of Texas, p.123</ref>
Cleburne was primarily an agricultural center and county seat until the Santa Fe Railroad 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.<ref name="HBTO"/>
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.<ref>Matt Smith "Cleburne’s inglorious captives" Cleburne Times-Review 18 Apr 2010.</ref>
In 1985, the city was the petitioner in the U.S. Supreme Court case City of Cleburne v. Cleburne Living Center, Inc. after being sued over a special-use permit.
Cleburne is on the fringe of the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. Growth in the area has been primarily attributed to suburbanization.<ref>North Central Texas Council of Governments</ref>
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 Template:Convert. No deaths or severe injuries were reported.<ref>kwqc.com</ref>
Geography
[edit]Cleburne is west of the center of Johnson County, Template:Convert south of the center of Fort Worth. It is bordered to the north by Joshua and to the east by Keene. U.S. Route 67 runs through the north side of the city on a freeway bypass; the highway leads east Template:Convert to Alvarado and west Template:Convert to Stephenville. State Highways 171 and 174 run through the center of Cleburne on Main Street. Highway 171 leads northwest Template:Convert to Cresson and southeast Template:Convert to Hillsboro, while Highway 174 leads north Template:Convert to Burleson and southwest Template:Convert to Meridian.
According to the United States Census Bureau, Cleburne has a total area of Template:Convert, of which Template:Convert are land and Template:Convert, or 8.86%, are covered by water.<ref name="Census 2010">Template:Cite web</ref> East and West Buffalo Creek run through the center of Cleburne, flowing south to the Nolan River and part of the Brazos River watershed.
Climate
[edit]Demographics
[edit]<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
| Race | Number | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| White (NH) | 18,853 | 60.13% |
| Black or African American (NH) | 1,212 | 3.87% |
| Native American or Alaska Native (NH) | 120 | 0.38% |
| Asian (NH) | 171 | 0.55% |
| Pacific Islander (NH) | 376 | 1.2% |
| Some Other Race (NH) | 60 | 0.19% |
| Mixed/Multi-Racial (NH) | 1,199 | 3.82% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 9,361 | 29.86% |
| Total | 31,352 |
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 31,352 people, 10,982 households, and 7,441 families residing in the city.
Attractions
[edit]The City of Cleburne Parks and Recreation Department maintains Splash Station, a small water park for people of all ages.
The Template:Convert Cleburne Sports Complex contains seven baseball/softball fields, two football fields, and 20 soccer fields.
The Depot at Cleburne Station is a 1,750-seat baseball stadium, home to the Cleburne Railroaders of the American Association of Independent Professional Baseball.
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.
Historic Downtown Cleburne has 7 Antique Malls, numerous Boutiques and Restaurants , The Published Page, a large independent bookstore, and Songbird Live , a music venue all in a 5 block radius to their Courthouse.
Chisholm Trail Outdoor 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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> 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 recentlyTemplate:When named as one of Texas' top 10 open-air museums.<ref>Cleburne Times Review, April 22, 2016</ref>
Other local museums include the Cleburne Railroad Museum<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and the Layland Museum.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Cleburne State Park is in a hilly area Template:Convert west of the city center. It has fishing in Cedar Lake, camping, swimming, and hiking trails.
Economy
[edit]Major employers include Walmart, which maintains a Supercenter retail outlet and a distribution center. Together, those facilities employ 914 workers. The Cleburne Independent School District 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.<ref>Source: Cleburne Chamber of Commerce</ref>
Fun Town RV, the nation's largest single-location towable RV dealer<ref>Statistical Surveys, Incorporated</ref> employs 412 at its corporate headquarters and sales office.<ref>Community Life Magazine June/July 2016 Vol. 11, No. 3</ref>
Education
[edit]The city is served by the Cleburne Independent School District, with Cleburne High School 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 Intermediate 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's Johnson County Campus is in Cleburne.
Cleburne High School sports
[edit]Cleburne High School is in UIL district 8-5A. Cleburne's most notable sports stadium, the Yellow Jacket Stadium 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.
Notable people
[edit]- William H. Bledsoe, a member of both houses of Texas legislature from Lubbock, 1915 to 1929
- Johnny Carroll, a rockabilly singer, recorded for Sun Records, Decca Records, and Warner Bros
- Pat Culpepper, All-American linebacker for the University of Texas at Austin
- Donnie Dacus, former guitarist for Chicago
- Leonard Eugene Dickson, professor of mathematics at University of Chicago
- Dillon Gee, pitcher for the New York Mets and others
- Joe Keeble, football player
- David "Benedict" McWilliams, a former player and head football coach of the University of Texas at Austin
- Spike Owen, a former Major League Baseball shortstop
- Derrell Palmer, a 1950s Cleveland Browns lineman
- Randy Rogers, singer and front man of Randy Rogers Band
- Del Sharbutt, radio and television announcer, songwriter, and composer
- Barbara Staff, co-chair of the 1976 Ronald Reagan presidential campaign in Texas
- Montey Stevenson, former professional football defensive tackle
- Anne Stratton, composer
- Claude Porter White, composer
See also
[edit]References
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External links
[edit]Template:Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex Template:Johnson County, Texas Template:Texas Template:Texas county seats