%b%crDowntown Square%b%c* and other Bonham, TX Things to Do Tips

The selection of stores on the square was a little disappointing but I presume in time and with the rejuvenating, this will change. It has not as yet become the trendy mecca that other little towns in Texas are developing into.

While walking around the square I started to feel maybe this was not the best choice I had made of towns to visit - the bleak cold weather was probably not offering the best look of this little town, but after a visit to the Fannin County Museum, that all changed. The couple that were there were welcoming and extremely helpful. Their enthusiasm of their town and the surrounding area, past and future, was transferred to me and I came away with a greater awareness that there was something very special about this little town. The pride in everyone I came across and their helpfulness was inspiring and I ended up feeling of almost a duty to do the very best I could with the images and information I had been freely given.
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Address: Downtown Bonham

The original Fannin County Courthouse was built around 1888 by W.C. Dodson. It was a more elaborate structure than what exists today. In 1929, fire unfortunately destroyed the roof and steeple. The remodelling that took place drastically changed the appearance and its nothing like some of the other courthouses in other towns. In fact its pretty ordinary as a downtown centrepiece.
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Address: Downtown Square, Bonham

The statue was commissioned in 1936 and commentates the messenger of the Alamo. Bonham was a hero of the Alamo. He was amazing in that he left the Alamo twice during the siege to try and gain aid from Gonzales for the besieged force and also to return to escort volunteers back to the Alamo. Unfortunately after his second return to the Alamo, he was killed. He is believed to have died manning one of the cannons in the interior of the Alamo chapel.
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Address: Downtown Square, Bonham

Also on the grounds of the courthouse is a Confederate memorial. The Memorial says to the Confederate Soldiers who sacrificed their lives for a just cause.
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Address: Downtown Square, Bonham

The old depot was the second depot to be built in Bonham and was constructed in 1900. The original depot was a small wooden building which served both passengers and freight. From 1987 it has be the home to the Fannin County Museum of History with the Chamber of Commerce taking up residence in the other end in 1989. The building has been declared as a recorded historic landmark and it is also on the national register of historic places.
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Address: 1 Main Street, Bonham
Directions: South of Courthouse Square & US 82

The Museum's is in the Texas and Pacific Railway Depot and the exhibits cover the time before the Texas Revolution with the arrival of the early settlers through the years of the Republic of Texas and the Civil War through into the new century and 2 world wars.
The couple that were there on the day I went were a wealth of information and very helpful with other information around Bonham. Tom Scott and Jean Dodson were very knowledgeable on the history of the area and a delight to talk to. I came away armed with various maps and pamphlets and with a very different awareness of Bonham's prominence than I had gone in with. My thanks.

Open Tues - Sat 10.00am - 4.00pm (summer) and 12.00noon to 4.00pm (winter)

Admission is free but donations are gratefully accepted.

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Address: One Main Street , Bonham
Directions: 3 blocks south of the Courthouse Square.

In the Museum there is a small but amazing collection of fossils from the prehistoric days of the county. Remains can still be found around the Sulphur River Valley area. I was told that these items could even outdate those at the Smithsonian.
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Address: Fannin County Museum of History, 1 Main Street

One of the most amazing items was the tooth of a Mammoth. Hard to imagine that these mighty beasts roamed the area but by the size of the tooth, you certainly wouldn't have wanted to come across one.

There are also Early Native American artifacts represented in the museum.
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Address: Fannin County Museum of History, 1 Main Street

With the building the Museum is now housed in, there are also displays relating to the first railroad that was built in this area in a room totally devoted to the arrival in 1873 of the Iron Horse.
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Address: Fannin County Museum of History, 1 Main Street

In relation to the changes in communication over the years, there are exhibits of a telephone switchboard and a radio collection.
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Address: Fannin County Museum of History, 1 Main Street