Lake Pat Cleburne
Cleburne, Johnson County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Named to honor famous Confederate general and leader of Texas troops. Built to supply city water needs after $3,200,000 bond issue approved Aug. 14, 1962. Lake covers 2,000 acres of land. Treatment plant has normal daily capacity of 3,000,000 gallons of water. Lake completed in Oct. 1964. (1967)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Cleburne, the Johnson County seat, took its name from Patrick Cleburne, the Confederate general who led Texas troops in the Civil War. In the early 1960s the growing city approved a multimillion-dollar bond to dam its water supply, and by 1964 a 2,000-acre reservoir bearing the general's name stood ready to serve the community. The lake and its treatment plant reflect the postwar boom in municipal infrastructure across Texas.
Why it matters
It shows how Confederate memory was woven into the everyday landscape of 20th-century Texas, with a modern public-works project named for a Civil War figure a full century after his death.
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Related people
- · Patrick Cleburne
Themes & tags
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