Hearne is located on land that initially belonged to politician and soldier José Francisco Ruiz.

The Hearne family moved to the area in the 1850s, purchasing 10,000 acres and operating cotton plantations.

[4] With the construction of a depot in Hearne in 1868, businesses began to open, including a hotel, saloons, churches and a cotton gin.

The ACLU filed a class action lawsuit, Kelly v. Paschall, on their behalf, alleging that the arrests were unlawful.

The ACLU contended that 15 percent of Hearne's male African American population aged 18 to 34 (and at least one woman) were arrested based on the "uncorroborated word of a single unreliable confidential informant coerced by police to make cases."

The government had promised the informant leniency on a burglary charge and one hundred dollars in cash in exchange for each suspect he helped convict.

[7] On May 11, 2005, the ACLU and Robertson County announced a confidential settlement of the lawsuit, an outcome which "both sides stated that they were satisfied with."

In May 2014, protesters demonstrated against the shooting of a 93-year-old woman named Pearlie Golden by the Hearne Police Department.

Stem's attorney said that some community members had turned a safety issue into one focused on age, race and gender.

[11] According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 4.1 square miles (11 km2), all land.

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters.