Yellow Jacket Stadium
Cleburne, Johnson County, Texas
Marker Inscription
In 1939, work began to replace Rhome Field, where Cleburne High played home football games for twenty years. The Works Projects Administration (WPA) provided most of the funding for the new $80,000 stadium built from concrete and rough cut Somervell County limestone. It opened in fall 1941, with ivy-covered stands, pilasters, seating for 3800, ticket windows, and dressing rooms. The stadium has hosted football games, other sports, and community events. The 1959 state co-championship team, coached by Brooks Conover, played on this field. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 2010
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
By 1939, Cleburne High's two-decade-old Rhome Field had outlived its usefulness, and the Works Projects Administration stepped in to fund most of an $80,000 replacement. Built of concrete and rough-cut Somervell County limestone, Yellow Jacket Stadium opened in the fall of 1941 with ivy-covered stands, seating for 3,800, ticket windows, and dressing rooms. It has hosted football, other sports, and community gatherings ever since, including the 1959 state co-championship team coached by Brooks Conover.
Why it matters
The stadium is a lasting piece of New Deal public works, showing how WPA labor and local stone built civic gathering places that small Texas towns still use today.
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Related people
- · Brooks Conover
Themes & tags
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