CROSSROADS REPORT
By Kent Brunette
From The Pages Of The March 5, 2008
Hearne Democrat Newspaper
The March 4, 2008 Texas presidential primary may be one for the record books.
For the past 172 years, the first week in March has marked important milestones in Texas
history.
On March 2, 1836, Texas declared its independence from Mexico at Washington on
the Brazos. On March 6, 1836, the wanna be nation lost an important battle to Mexico
when the Alamo in San Antonio fell. A month & a half later on April 21, 1836, Mexican
General Santa Anna surrendered to Texas forces at San Jacinto.
After the Texas Revolution, the Republic of Texas was an independent nation for
almost ten years. It was annexed into statehood on December 29, 1845, making it the 28th
of the 50 United States.
Even at night, signs of the new & improved Hearne are visible as people drive into
town on TX6/US190 from the south.
Eight miles out, FracTech’s immaculately maintained yard with its green & gold
trucks & tanks is aglow with light. Three miles out, Derek Scott’s Auto Park shines
brightly with lights, signs, & lot filled with five makes of shiny new vehicles. If you’re
listening to a local radio station, you may even hear Derek urge Brazos Valley residents to
“make the short drive to Hearne.”
The Crane Plumbing facility & 107-acre old Humble refinery site are both dark. In
recent months, these properties have had lots of nibbles but no bites. Someday soon, a
major new employer may purchase one or both of these properties & convert them to
active use.
Some light needs to be shed on several positive developments near Hearne’s
original town site. Many years ago, Hearne’s commercial district was moved two miles
north near the intersection of the north/south & east/west railroad lines.
First Star Bank lights up the night with its replica street lights & scrolling marquee.
Realtor Dave Cunningham hopes to convert Daniel Lehoski’s former Exxon station
at 1309 S Market into a convenience store with gas pumps. Dave recently purchased this
property as well as an abandoned stretch of Anderson Street between the highway &
railroad tracks. The plan is to build a new fuel island on the building’s south side. The
office & service bays will become a convenience store which complements the depot-style
bank.
Open a couple of years, the Jerry Broadus barber shop & Paul Broadus cabinet
shop office at 1307 S Market is a welcome improvement over the unsightly red wooden
structure which occupied this site.
The former restaurant, bus station, herb store, & temporary bank structure next
door to Broadus at 1207 S Market is being developed into an office building. Brad Ely
hopes to move his local Edwards Jones operations to this location. Expect to see lots of
forest green paint applied both inside & out. Additional professional office space might
possibly be available in this building.
Some improvements have already been made to the Shear building across the
street. James Shear’s Custom S Lawn & Tree Service will remain. A full service car wash
will operate out of the blonde brick structure which has additional retail space for future
development.
Remembered as “Food Town” by us old-timers, the current Edward Jones location
at 1101 S Market would become available for sale or lease for retail or office use.
Hearne’s new Robertson County EMS station has begun site work behind
McDonald’s between Magnolia & Cedar Streets along Brown. Work has included the
tearing down of a house, upheaval of concrete, & removal of unwanted trees. More
progress is expected in coming weeks.
Several years in the making, Hearne is changing for the better right before our
eyes. Coming or going, much-needed & long-overdue improvements are obvious to
residents & visitors alike.
Stay tuned. More new developments are on the way!
Crossroads Reports are archived at www.hearnetexas.info. Click on the
“Crossroads Report” link to view past reports. The views expressed in this report are
those of the author & do not necessarily reflect the positions of the City of Hearne,
Hearne’s 4A & 4B Sales Tax Boards, Hearne Chamber of Commerce, or Robertson County
Democratic Party.