Cleburne, Texas, has long been a center of transportation activity. From the early wagon trail between Fort Belknap to Fort Graham known as the Johnson County Road … to the Chisholm Trail… to the bivouac during the Civil War for Johnson County units, people have been coming through —and to—Cleburne.By1881the railroad was king of transportation, and Cleburne was just the spot for a modern transportation hub. No wonder the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railway came to town. Its arrival brought train travel from Fort Worth through Cleburne to Temple, but that was just the beginning of the railroad industry in Cleburne. Central machine shops were constructed in 1898 and 1899, doubling the city’s population.
In 1906, with the city’s population growing, the need for entertainment grew as well. Folks from Cleburne had been obligated to take the train into Fort Worth if they wanted to see a baseball game. But in 1906 the smell of hot dogs and popcorn was in the air for the season opener of the Cleburne Railroaders minor league baseball team. The aptly named team was a member of the Texas League. And although the Railroaders won the Texas League pennant, the team disbanded after the 1906 season, though several of its players went on to successful major league careers.
Nine of the 1906 Cleburne club, in fact, played in the majors. Tris Speaker, from the Hill County town of Hubbard, went from the Railroaders to the Boston Red Sox and became one of the greatest players in baseball history, hitting .345 for his career and being inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. His hometown honors him with a historical marker in front of City Hall and with a baseball field in his name.
DEPOT DOINGS The Railroaders, who now play their games at the Depot at Cleburne Station, competed for just one season, in 1906, before last year’s return. This year, the team looks to improve upon its second-place divisional finish in 2017.
Fortunately, the story of the Cleburne Railroaders doesn’t end here. After more than 100 years, Cleburne is a baseball comeback town — in a captivating venue to boot. The still-named Railroaders, an independent team in the American Association, play their home games at the Depot at Cleburne Station, one of the most appealing professional baseball parks with its railroad theme. In fact, the Depot was voted “Best of the Ballparks” by Ballpark Digest in 2017. (The Depot is also home to FC Cleburne, a minor league soccer team, and hosts concerts and other events throughout the year.) The park has more than 4,000 seats for spectators, along with a museum that retraces the history of the team. Following a game, fans can take the field and retrace the steps of their favorite players. (If you’re lucky enough to catch a ball, you can get it autographed by a player, too.)
The 2017 Railroaders didn’t quite reach the heights of their 1906 predecessors, but the team did manage a second-place finish in the South Division of the American Association — an encouraging start to the franchise’s second professional venture.
So here’s a chance to spend some time soaking up the history of Cleburne while enjoying the national pastime. All aboard!
