Hearne is named for Christopher Columbus Hearne, whose wife donated 700 acres to the north-south Houston & Texas Central Railroad when it was built in this area in 1868.  Incorporated in 1871, the town later became the crossroads of Texas when the east-west International & Great Northern Railroad was built through town.  Still a railroad center, Hearne has an impressive historic district with antebellum homes, an historic railroad depot that is being restored, and a former prisoner of war camp that is being preserved.

	Historic Hearne Tour Take a leisurely stroll or car trip through Hearne's history.  This tour of places, buildings, and homes with architectural and historical significance in the City Of Hearne showcases the antebellum mansions and unique houses of the prosperous merchants and planters who helped build Hearne.  It also features Hearne City Hall and some of the commercial buildings downtown.
	Camp Hearne WWII Prisoner Of War Internment Camp 1942-1947 30 53 15 N / - 96 37 03 W, Hwy. 485, 1/2 mile west of Hearne Texas Historic Marker reads: "During the Second World War, allied troops captured large numbers of Axis soldiers and transported them to prisoner of war camps established throughout the United States. More than 70 camps in Texas housed some 50,000 prisoners. In March 1942, Hearne Chamber of Commerce President Roy Henry contacted Congressman Luther Johnson to request that a camp be located here. Within a month, U.S. Army staff had inspected the area and selected 720 acres as a prison site. Construction of the camp began in September 1942 and was completed in six months. It was laid out in three sections, each of which included a mess hall, lavatory, company office and eight barracks. The first of almost 5,000 prisoners of war (POWs) arrived in June 1943. Most of the POWs housed here were non-commissioned officers (NCOs) of the famed German Afrika Korps captured in Tunisia. Because NCOs were not required to work in prison camps according to the Geneva Convention, they spent most of their time in recreational and educational activities while the bulk of the work in the camp fell to enlisted men who comprised about twenty percent of the prison population. In 1944, Camp Hearne became the central mail distribution point for all German POWs in the U.S., but poor supervision allowed a small group of Nazi sympathizers to infiltrate the system and intimidate and terrorize both prisoners and their families back in Germany until the scheme was discovered and the operation shut down in July 1945. A few hundred Japanese prisoners were brought here in the summer of 1945 shortly before the end of the War. All POWs were gone and the camp closed by January 1946." (2003)  A full-scale model of the camp is at the Hearne Chamber of Commerce office. Foundations & other evidence still exist at the site. Efforts are underway in 2003 to preserve the camp & build a roadside park.
	Historic Hearne Railroad Depot 30 53 06 N / -96 35 53 W, Hwy 6 at Southern Pacific & Missouri Pacific crossroads  Texas Historic Marker Pending The Hearne Railroad Depot was constructed in 1901 as a joint venture by the Houston & Texas Central (H&TC) and International & Great Northern (I&GN) Railroads.  The building is a single-story frame structure on a concrete base.  The two decorative towers, the "stick-style" design, size and interior details all reflect the importance of this junction and of passenger traffic at this period.  The building was designed with its two long walls parallel to the tracks, and an interlock signaling room racing north at the apex of the plan.  There was a baggage room and a ticket office that served separate waiting rooms for black and white passengers.  Also at the location was a Harvey House Restaurant and a Wells Fargo Railway Express building.  Efforts are underway in 2003 to transform Hearne's historic depot into a visitors center & museum.  The Hearne Railroad Depot is one of 12 buildings or groups of buildings in Robertson County that is preserved in the U.S. Library of Congress American Memory Collection.  Seven architectural drawings and floor plans of this historic depot from this collection are featured below.
	Railroads & Trains Robertson County is a veritable paradise for rail fanners and railroad buffs alike.  Fifty plus freight trains come through Robertson County every day.  Hearne, which is at the intersection of the Union Pacific Railroad's east-west and north-south routes through central Texas, serves as UP's East Texas Operations Center.  With the Hearne Interlock and Yards, Valley Junction, Mumford's Tatsie Crossing, and other sites, railroad and train enthusiasts can snap photographs, listen to trains as they roll by, and hear the whistles of trains as they travel through the county carrying their cargoes to distant locations.
	Guy E. Chandler Park 30 52 52 N / -96 35 43 W, West 4th Street, Map This park includes a recently added miniature tropical rain forest.  Governor's Award reads:  "Presented to Hearne 1985, The Governor's Community Achievement Award, For Enhancing The Quality Of Life In The Community Through Planning, Improving, & Preserving An Attractive Environment. The State Of Texas. Sponsored By Keep Texas Beautiful. Mark White, Governor."  Veterans Memorial reads:  "Dedicated to the memory of all veterans who served our country during time of war, and especially to the honor of those who made the supreme sacrifice. Dedicated by Miles Scrivener Legion, Hearne, Texas."
	Smith-Welch Memorial Library The north end of downtown Hearne developed after the arrival of the second railroad (the International & Great Northern) in 1871.  The building now known as the Smith-Welch Memorial Library was erected in 1892 on the site of an earlier wooden store.  It remains one of the most ornate buildings in the downtown area reflecting the prosperity of Hearne in the late nineteenth century.  The upper portion of the front facade has classical details in pressed metal on a wood frame.  Above the main floor is a mezzanine with an open well which allowed light to enter through a skylight and second floor windows.  The second level has an impressive gallery with original carved fretwork and semi-circular leaded/stained glass window facing the street.  The building was donated to the city 1971 by Mrs. Josie T. Welch) when it was converted for use as a public library.  This outstanding pressed metal fascaded Victorian Building has undergone extensive restoration.  Builder J. H. Batley was a prosperous Hearne merchant.  He sold the building in 1895 to Sam Lipsitz who operated a dry goods store here, a use which continued under several ownerships until late 1930.   The Smith-Welch Memorial Library is one of 12 buildings or groups of buildings in Robertson County that is preserved in the U.S. Library of Congress American Memory Collection.  Seven architectural drawings and floor plans of this historic building from this collection are featured below.
	Hearne City Hall 30 52 48 N / -96 35 49 W, corner of West Third & Cedar Streets, Map Texas Historic Marker reads:  "Situated on land originally granted (1830) to Francisco Ruiz, Commander of Fort Tenoxtitlan.  The first settler, S. Code Brown, operated a tavern, stage stand, store, and post office which served a large area.  Among the Southern planters coming here (1852) were Ebenezer and Horatio Hearne who later titled 5,000 acres to Houston & Texas Central Railroad when the railroad built to this site in 1868.  The town platted in 1870 and named for the Hearne family was incorporated in 1871."  [#10930/1971] THC Marker
	Norwood Cemetery 30 53 11.0 N / -96 35 18.1 W, Map Texas Historic Marker reads:  "Though the oldest known grave on this site was made for Mary Stroud Bolton in 1870, the year it was deeded to the City of Hearne, stories persist that patients of the Sisters of Charity Hospital that once overlooked the cemetery were buried on this site. Among the nameless may be the Irish and Chinese immigrants who built the railroad in this region. Other significant burials include those of Confederate soldier C. W. Gardner and prominent area families Hearne and Lewis. Norwood Cemetery continues to be the primary burial site for the city."  [#11755/1997] THC Marker, Norwood Cemetery A-K, Norwood Cemetery L-Z
	Rosie Lee Moore Grave, last living "Aunt Jemima" Hammond Colony Cemetery, 9 miles east of Hearne near Black Jack Community The last living person who played the role of Aunt Jemima for the Quaker Oats Company from 1950 - 1967 was Robertson County's own Rosie Lee Moore. Rosie Lee Moore, Hammond Colony African American Cemetery
	Suggs Cemetery 30 52 53 N / -96 31 59 W, 4 miles east of Hearne on FM 391 near Black Jack, Map Texas Historic Marker reads:  "Calvin A. Suggs and his family came to Texas from Georgia in the late 1860s. They settled in this area about 1868 and Suggs purchased 80 acres of land. This cemetery was established on Suggs' land and has served as the principal burial ground for the Black Jack community for over a century. The oldest documented grave here is that of Jera William McWilliams who died on October 11, 1880. Many pioneer settlers of this area are interred in the Suggs Cemetery in marked and unmarked graves. It serves as a reminder of the area's early heritage."  [#10952/1989] THC Marker, Suggs Cemetery
	Ebenezer Hearne Cemetery 30 49 57 N / -96 33 20 W, 5 miles south of Hearne on Old Hearne-Bryan Road, Map Texas Historic Marker reads:  "Located adjacent to the former mansion site of "Estate Place Plantation," owned by Ebenezer and Minerva Walker Hearne, this burial area contains graves of Ebenezer [1817-69] and Minerva [1815- ?] Hearne, their daughter Icephena Hearne Dunklin [1849-74] and several children, names not recorded; a landmark of pioneer days when the Hearne families [1850's settlers] opened cotton plantations that prospered the area. House of Horatio Hearne, the brother of Ebenezer, stood three miles to the south. Memorial plaque donated by descendants of Ebenezer Hearne."  [#10919/1971] THC Marker, Ebenezer Hearne Cemetery
	Other Historic Cemeteries In & Near Hearne There are quite a few other historic cemeteries in the Hearne city limits as well as nearby.  The largest are the Saint Mary Catholic Cemetery, Saint Joseph or Jose Hispanic Catholic Cemetery, & Riverside African American Cemetery.   Saint Mary Catholic, Saint Joseph or Jose Hispanic Catholic, Belcher-Stewart, Brown-Robb, Riverside African American, Tatnell African American, Zeig Sheet Metal, Scott, Camp Hearne, Red Hill-Saint Luke-Moody, Indian Burial Grounds, Old Sanctified Schoolgrounds, & Easterwood
	Brazos Manufacturing Company, C.S.A. 30 52 55.9 N / -96 34 44.2 W, east city limits on FM 391 in Hearne, Map Texas Historic Marker reads:  "Established in 1863 on a Brazos River tributary. Intended to make flour and cloth of cotton and wool. Chartered by 9th Texas Legislature in all-out effort to supply the goods necessary to Confederate victory in the Civil War. To finance its purchases of machinery, materials and labor, Brazos Manufacturing Company received cotton from Texas planters, especially in this area. Subscription of a bale of cotton gave a planter the right to export one bale for his own benefit. Since neither factory nor farm had any other way to pay running expenses than by cotton sales, much cotton was donated to the corporation. This corporation met the fate of many others chartered by Texas during the Civil War. Although Brazos Manufacturing Company did help to clothe army and civilians, its production was small and was achieved too late in the war."  [#10903/1965] THC Marker

In Robertson County