Camp Henderson

Cleburne, the county seat of Johnson County, is on U.S. Highway 67 thirty miles south of Fort Worth. Its origin and growth can be attributed to its role as a crossroads and transportation center. The site 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.

Cleburne had a post office during its first year and a newspaper, the Cleburne Chronicle, in 1868. Cleburne Male and Female Institute, established by the Alvarado Baptist Association, operated between 1868 and 1872 as a church-related school. It was nonsectarian for a few more years before becoming the site of the first public school. The town was incorporated in May 1871 with a mayor-council form of government.