City Wagon Yards
Cleburne, Johnson County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Were meeting places for early rural folks coming to town to buy, sell, trade, catch up on latest news. Here on this lot farmers, travelers for "two bits" got feed, water for teams; crude overnight accommodations. Wagon yards, outdated by better roads, cars, trucks, were forerunner of motels.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Before paved highways and the automobile, a trip to town could take a farm family the better part of a day, and the wagon yard was where that day happened. For "two bits" a traveler could water and feed his team and find rough shelter for the night, while the yard itself doubled as a marketplace and clearinghouse for the latest news. As roads improved and cars and trucks replaced the wagon, these gathering spots faded — but not before pointing the way toward the roadside motel.
Why it matters
Wagon yards were the social and commercial hubs of rural America, and their evolution into motels captures in miniature how the automobile reshaped how Americans traveled, traded, and stayed the night.
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Themes & tags
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