Downs pastoral lease 148 km south-east of Springsure, that other officers in the Queensland Native Police "...had been able to bag their first Aborigine after only a few weeks in the Force; he had served for six months and still had not yet killed a black." The Old Rainworth Fort was built in 1862 by the colonists of Springsure in order to defend themselves from future raids by Aboriginals. Horatio's son, star cricketer and Australian rules football pioneer Tom Wills, survived the massacre, and remained on site until 1864. The town takes its name from a pastoral run which was first named Springsure in 1861, after its permanent spring. The town was surveyed by Charles Frederick Gregory in August 1863. The Springsure Presbyterian Church in Charles Street opened in about 1866. It closed in March 2011 after 145 years. Springsure State School opened on 14 March 1870. On 6 December 1919, the Springsure State School Memorial Fountain was dedicated by Mrs Annie Wheeler (née Laurie), a former pupil at the school. The memorial is a marble fountain and commemorates students of the school who served in World War I. In March 1925 the Rev. Father Thomas Andrew Sweeney arrived in Springsure to replace Rev. Father Jules Bucas as the Catholic priest for the parish. Sweeney saw that there was a need for a Catholic school in Springsure and set about building a school and a convent for its teachers in August 1925. The architect was Roy Chipps and the builder E.H. Fletcher, both of Rockhampton. In January 1926 the school and the convent opened in a ceremony led by Roman Catholic Bishop of Rockhampton Joseph Shiel. The convent and school were under the control of Sister Mary Bonaventure of the Sisters of Mercy. The school opened on 2 February 1926 with 64 children. It was originally known as The Convent of the Little Flower, but the name was later changed to Our Lady of the Sacred Heart. On 16 November 1943 a Douglas C-47A Skytrain broke up in mid-air during a violent storm in the area, and crashed on Rewan Station, just south of Springsure. All 19 people on board the aircraft perished in the crash. At the , Springsure had a population of 829. Heritage listings Springsure has a number of heritage-listed sites, including: 13 Woodbine Street: Springsure Hospital Museum Wealwandangie Road, Cairdbeign: Old Rainworth Stone Store Attractions A