Site of Buchanan
Cleburne, Johnson County, Texas
Marker Inscription
(1/4 mile southwest) Johnson County's second seat of government. (Wardville, just west of Nolan River, at U.S. 67, was first). Buchanan, named for president-elect of the United States, was founded in December 1856 on 60-acre townsite donated by John P. Bailey. A jail (first for the county) and office for the district clerk were built 1858. But lack of a reliable water supply hindered town's growth. Later resurvey of county lines showed necessity for a new site. In 1867, Camp Henderson (renamed Cleburne, July 4, 1867) was chosen. Cemetery is only remaining trace of Old Buchanan townsite. (1972)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Founded in December 1856 on land donated by John P. Bailey, Buchanan became Johnson County's second seat of government, named for the newly elected President-elect James Buchanan. It gained a jail and a district clerk's office by 1858, but the lack of a reliable water supply choked its growth. When a resurvey of the county lines forced a new location, Camp Henderson—soon renamed Cleburne—was chosen in 1867, and today only a cemetery marks the vanished town.
Why it matters
Buchanan is a classic Texas ghost town, a monument to how water, roads and shifting boundaries decided which frontier settlements thrived and which disappeared.
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Related people
- · John P. Bailey
- · James Buchanan
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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