Cleburne History - From Handbook of Texas Online:
Cleburne "was near the earliest Johnson County road, an old wagon trail that was used by soldiers traveling from Fort Belknap to Fort Graham. The location had an excellent water source on West Buffalo Creek that attracted travelers, including cattlemen from the nearby Chisholm Trail. During the Civil War the site was used as a bivouac for Johnson County units marching off to war. This temporary facility, known as Camp Henderson, became a permanent settlement on March 23, 1867, when it became necessary to choose a new, centrally located county seat to replace Buchanan. The town was named in honor of Gen. Patrick R. Cleburne, under whom many of the men had fought during the Civil War. ."

Attractions

Layland Museum
Cleburne has its own museum, The Layland Museum. Johnson County historical relics, early Texana, comprehensive Indian artifacts dating from pre-Columbian cultures, fossils, and genealogy records. Open Mon. - Fri. 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.; Sat. 9 a.m. - 1 p.m. In handsome 1904 Carnegie Library, 201 N. Caddo.

The theater group here is called the Carnegie Players. There are several City fests in Cleburne, such as: May fest, Spring fest, or Oktoberfest. There are many active Girl and Boy Scout groups. The Boy Scouts have yearly Pinewood Derby races with wooden cars. The Girl Scouts have yearly celebrations called Favorite Fellow Day where all the Girl Scout troops come bring food , share food, provide troop-made entertainment, and bring their 'Favorite Fellow', usually their dad.

Splash Station

Splash Station is now the premiere venue for aquatic recreation in Johnson County. This state of the art facility, located in Cleburne’s historic Hulen Park, is surrounded by several stately trees, walking trails (approx. 1 mile), pavilions & Buffalo Creek.  The Aquatics Center features two pools: an 8 lane, 25 yard fitness pool with two 1 meter diving boards; and a zero-entry leisure pool.  The fitness pool is designed for year-round use; it is covered with an air-dome...so you can enjoy a warm day at the pool no matter what the weather is outside — you’ve got to see it!  The leisure pool incorporates two large slides, a vortex pool, current channel, spray ground, and an interactive play feature.  For the little ones, a zero-entry toddler dish pool with a cushioned whale fountain feature, is just right. 

Antique Alley

We have a semi-annual event called "Antique Alley". The downtown streets of Cleburne to FM 4 are full of antiques, Collectibles, arts, crafts, food, entertainment and more.

The Sale is normally held the third full weekends of April and September. For more information you can access the website at www.myantiquealley.com

Cleburne Sports Complex

Located at  900 AllStar Parkway, Cleburne, TX. Designed for the sports-minded youth, the new  complex provides a variety of fields where young people can demonstrate good sportsmanship while receiving quality sport instruction.

The sports complex consists of 7 Baseball fields, 2 Football fields, and 20 Soccer fields.  Other features include 4 Concession stands, 4 sets of restrooms, and generous parking grounds.

Funds for construction of this project are from the 4B Sales Tax which was passed in August 2001.  Estimated cost is $7 million dollars.

Cleburne State Park

498 scenic acres offering camping, picnicking, rest rooms and showers, group camp facilities, fishing, swimming, boat rentals, groceries, trailer facilities, and hiking trails. Park contains a wildlife refuge and 116-acre Cedar Lake; 12 miles southwest of Cleburne, U.S. 67, Park Rd. 21. Admission.

Lake Pat Cleburne