Cleburne's 70-year-old stadium earns historical marker

By Elizabeth Campbell

liz@star-telegram.com

Some of Wilma Reed's fondest memories are of marching onto the football field in Cleburne, a proud member of the Yellow Jacket Color Guard.

So the 1947 graduate of Cleburne High School was more than willing to wave the team's colors again as she fought for a recorded Texas Historical Landmark for Yellow Jacket Stadium, making it the first football stadium in the state to receive such an honor.

"It is a beautiful structure," said Reed, a member of the Johnson County Historical Commission, who called getting the historical marker "prestigious."

Reed said Texas Historical Commission officials told her that there are 13,000 "subject markers" and 3,500 recorded landmarks.

"Personally, it is like honoring a dear, old friend," she said.

The commission's marker will be unveiled during a dedication ceremony, at 6 p.m. Friday, to coincide with the homecoming game, said Lisa Magers, a spokeswoman for the Cleburne school district.

Two years ago, the Johnson County Historical Commission began the application process for the marker for the Depression-era stadium, which was built by the Works Progress Administration. Reed said applying for the historical designation involved submitting a diagram of the structure and writing a history of the stadium with supporting documentation.

It takes anywhere from a year to 18 months to obtain a marker from the state, she said.

Cleburne's Athletic Booster Club underwrote the cost of the marker, which can be up to $1,500. It will be across from the ticket booth, outside the fence for everyone to see, Magers said.

Besides the marker, there is a plaque which says that Rhome Field, which was replaced by Yellow Jacket Stadium, was the football team's first home.

Construction of Yellow Jacket Stadium began in 1939, cost $80,000, and was completed in 1941. The stadium seats 3,800 people. Its limestone came from neighboring Somervell County.

When the stadium opened in the fall of 1941, fans sat in ivy-covered stands, Reed said. The stadium featured pilasters, ticket windows and dressing rooms. Little has changed since it was built, except for replacing a ticket booth because of termite damage, Magers said.

During the past 70 years, numerous graduations and other events such as the 1959 state championship have taken place in Yellow Jacket Stadium.

The dedication ceremony is also special for Reed's daughter, Karen Malone, who graduated from Cleburne High School in 1971. During that year, she was elected homecoming queen, and on Friday, she will be named Coming Home queen.

"No stadium has more history in the state of Texas, from its construction by the WPA to the many things that have gone on there, including the victorious season" when the high school won the state championship, said Vance Castles, Cleburne Athletic Booster Club's past president.

"We all, as a community, need to understand our historical roots. We must never get away from that."

Cleburne's football prowess is also featured in the exhibit, "Texas High School Football: More Than the Game," at The Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum. In 1920, Cleburne won the first UIL state championship.

Elizabeth Campbell,

817-390-7696

Looking for comments?