Burleson

Burleson is on Interstate Highway 35W, U.S. Highway 81, State Highway 174, and Farm roads 731 and 3391, fourteen miles south of Fort Worth in northern Johnson and southern Tarrant counties. Shannon and Village creeks run through the community. The Missouri, Kansas and Texas Railroad runs through the community, and the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe runs just to the west. Burleson began when the MKT planned a railroad from Fort Worth to Hillsboro in 1881 and established a depot on the townsite. Grenville M. Dodge, representing the railroad, purchased the land, originally part of the J. W. Henderson survey, from Rev. Henry C. Renfro. As part of the agreement, Renfro was allowed to name the depot and called it Burleson, in honor of Dr. Rufus C. Burleson, his teacher and later president of Baylor University.

In 1882 Burleson received a post office located in a saloon, with John L. Dickey as the first postmaster. Soon after it opened, several stores and churches were formed. Burleson was a mile south of an earlier community, Brushy Mound, which was bypassed by the railroad. The first school in the area had been founded at Brushy Mound in 1879. In 1885 a new building was constructed and called Alta Vista College. In 1893 it became Red Oak Academy and was run by the Presbyterian Church. After the school was discontinued the building was moved to Burleson in 1900. The Brushy Mound site is now in the Burleson city limits.

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Lisa C. Maxwell | © TSHA

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Adapted from the official Handbook of Texas, a state encyclopedia developed by Texas State Historical Association (TSHA). It is an authoritative source of trusted historical records.

Belongs to

Burleson is part of or belongs to the following places:

Currently Exists

Yes

Place type

Burleson is classified as a Town

Associated Names

  • (Brushy Mound)

Location

Latitude: 32.52324000
Longitude: -97.33978500

Has Post Office

Yes

Is Incorporated

Yes

Population Count, 2021 View more »

51,618