Looking to really get to know Texas ? Visit Cleburne , one of the earliest communities to form in the state .

When Texas first became a state in 1845 , our community was part of Navarro County .

In 1854 , Wardville was established as the first county seat of Johnson County . In 1867 , the county seat was moved to Camp Henderson , which was renamed to Cleburne to honor Confederate Gen . Pat Cleburne

Gen . Pat Cleburne

and was a farming and cattle ranching center until the opening of the Santa Fe shops , which caused the population to boom . Cleburne was the site of a major Santa Fe Railway locomotive back shop , which opened in 1898 and was most noted for the conversion of the former F7 locomotives into the Cleburne F7 ( CF7 ) and the SF30C locomotives . Some of the former railroad shop buildings can still be seen on the east side of the

. He never owned slaves nor did he ever visit Johnson County , Texas . He died Nov . 30 , 1864 , at the age of 36 in the Battle of Franklin , where he led many Texans in combat . He is buried in Franklin , Tennessee .

Starting in 1866 , one of the most popular cattle drives called the “ Chisholm Trail ” used Wardville as a camp site until 1890 because of the abundance of water and grasslands which is now known as Cleburne .

Cleburne , Texas , was incorporated in 1871 ,

tracks . You can also see Cleburne ’ s rich history with the original Wardville Courthouse at the Chisholm Trail Outdoor Museum .

Historical attractions in Cleburne include the Layland Museum , Cleburne Railroad Museum , Gone with the Wind Remembered Museum , the Santa Fe 3417 steam engine in Hulen Park , La Moderna Field baseball museum , Chisholm Trail Outdoor Museum offering eight different museums , Cleburne State Park , historical homes and other historical sites .