Representatives from the Johnson County Historical Commission (JCHC) presented the City of Cleburne with a historic landmark plaque for the Harrell Street Bridge.
The presentation was conducted at the regular city council meeting on Jan. 24.
The current bridge, located on Harrell Street between S. Buffalo Street and S. Mill Street, was built in 1929—replacing a 1924 wooden version that apparently washed away. The bridge provided relief to traffic congestion, convenient access for students to the high school building and a better route for farmers to the Market Square.
It was recently discovered by the commission that the Harrell Street Bridge has been on the National Park Service’s National Register of Historic Places since Cleburne formed a downtown historic district in 2018.
JCHC did more research into the bridge’s history and submitted all the necessary paperwork to receive a historic landmark plaque for the bridge. The bridge will soon display an official historic emblem and narrative plaque to note the significance of the site.
Harrell Street Bridge is 140-feet long and 37-feet wide with sidewalks on either side that offer pedestrians access to a walkway along Buffalo Creek.