In 2021, Hulen Park was recognized and designated a Lone Star Legacy Park by the Texas Parks & Recreation Society. A Lone Star Legacy Park is a park that holds special prominence in the local community and the state of Texas. A designation as a Lone Star Legacy is one of the highest honors that can be bestowed on a park.
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Hulen Park is one of the first parks in Cleburne. The park is located along West Buffalo Creek, whose clear water and consistent springs attracted bison, Native Americans, and cowboys on the Chisholm Trail. Later its availability as a water source for steam locomotives brought the railroads, which assured Cleburne’s growth and survival. In 1904, the Trinity & Brazos Rail Company opened a line from Mexia to Cleburne, with a railyard, shops, and depot on the site.
The Southeast corner of the property was once known as Gorman Park, a wooden ballpark erected in 1906 for the Railroaders minor league baseball team. The Railroaders went on to win the 1906 Texas League championship, thanks to several players who would go on to the major leagues. Tris Speaker played his first professional season here, beginning an illustrious career that included three Word Series wins and election to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1937.
In 1936, Cleburne’s first swimming pool opened, funded by the PWA. Decades of use and Texas weather irretrievably damaged the pool. In 2004, it was renovated into Splash Station, a water park with two pools and a splash pad that welcomed 43,000 guests in 2019.
On March 16, 1938, the Corsicana Daily Sun described a recently completed project by the WPA in Cleburne to “Construct softball field, bleachers, bowling green, walks and parkway and landscape in a city park; federal funds $6,381; sponsor’s funds $2,773; workers 59.” The stone and concrete bleachers remain, now facing basketball courts, and they are cherished for their historic charm. A heart-shaped stone clearly visible on one end appears frequently on social media. Picnic tables and the creek dams and retaining walls are also still in place.
Atchison Topeka & Santa Fe (AT&SF) Steam Locomotive #3417 was based and maintained in Cleburne. On November 22, 1954, the AT&SF Railroad donated Engine #3417 to the City of Cleburne, and in 1955 she was moved to her present location in Hulen Park, where she is known as “The Spirit of Cleburne”. Engine #3417 has provided countless photo opportunities and a look into the days of the amazing “Iron Horse”. In 1919, #3417’s centennial was celebrated with a festival in the park.
Today, Hulen Park is one of the most frequented parks in Cleburne. Modern amenities such as Splash Station water park, two pavilions, and a playground coexist with historic Works Progress Administration (WPA) and Public Works Administration (PWA) elements to delight today’s residents and visitors while recognizing the park’s long history. The park also hosts the annual Whistle Stop Christmas lighting displays each December.