Museums offer a
Cleburne Railroad Museum 206 N. Main St. 817-645-0952
The role of the railroads in shaping Cleburne’ s destiny is shown at the Cleburne Railroad Museum, which shares the block with the Layland Museum, making the two convenient to visit together.
Exhibits focus on not only the many railroads who operated in Cleburne over the years, but also the Cleburne Santa Fe Shops, a major facility that built and maintained enormous locomotives and railcars. By far Cleburne’ s largest employer for more than a century, the Shops supported more than half the town’ s population, droving local prosperity and growth. Historic exhibits, a model railroad named“ The Cleburne and Johnson County Railroad,” and a children’ s play area are available free of charge from 11 a. m. to 4 p. m. Tuesday through Saturday.
The Dillon Depot Creamery & Antiques 302 N. Anglin St 817-526-5330
Explore Cleburne’ s train history by visiting Dillon Depot, which is home to a railroad exhibit, including a large HO scale train layout. Experience the sounds of real life train bells, whistles and horns while viewing Cleburne’ s rich railroad history. It also houses an old-fashioned ice cream parlor and antiques.
Gone With the Wind Remembered Museum 305 E. 2nd St. 817-517-3897
The Gone With the Wind Remembered Museum and Gift Shop pays tribute to the classic 1939 film with a comprehensive collection of memorabilia, including dresses, props, jewelry and photos.
Browse through thousands of rare and hard-to-find items including over 600 dolls of Scarlett O’ Hara, an armchair used in the film, and original props from the set. You don’ t have to be a diehard fan of this Civil War romance to appreciate the collection.
Outside the museum, you will find three murals commemorating the movie. The mural of Rhett Butler and Scarlett O’ Hara strolling down a picturesque path has real rose bushes giving the painting a 3-D effect.
Layland Museum of History 201 N. Caddo St. 817-645-0940
The 1905 Carnegie Library Building elegantly shelters the Layland Museum of History, with displays tracing the community’ s history from fossils to the 1970s. The building alone is worth a visit, as one of the few remaining buildings in Texas built by industrialist Andrew Carnegie.
Exhibits change periodically but always feature Cleburne and regional history beginning in prehistoric times, continuing through the city’ s founding in 1867 and finally the 20th century.
16 visitcleburne. com