• The Fannin County Museum of History is delighted to have received a donation of a 600-set collection of stereoscope images which was produced by the Keystone View Company for use in classrooms. The donation was from the family of Glenna Langford, who taught 4th grade in Bonham from 1966 to 1990.
  • Bonham recently celebrated the 150th anniversary of the first train into town, so we wanted to run this 90-year-old article in the Bonham Daily Favorite about the first train pulling into Bonham on October 12, 1873.
  • Good gifts for a history lover! The Museum is open noon - 4:00 p.m., Tuesday - Saturday and is located at 1 Main Street, just a few blocks should of the Courthouse Square.
  • Dr. Light Cummins, shown here below Allie Tennant's statue of Alamo hero James Butler Bonham -- and before Fannin County Historical Commission led a movement to repair the statue -- came to Bonham in 2010 to tell the history of this remarkable statue and its talented creator.
  • A total solar eclipse occurred on July 29, 1878 over much of North America, including Fannin County and most of Texas. There was much publicity in advance of this event in many newspapers. It was a major event in modern astronomy. "Americans in the 1870s were just as excited about an eclipse as we are today, and like us, were willing to travel thousands of miles to see it." [Ruskin, Steve. America’s First Great Eclipse. 2017] This wonderful photo from the Portal to Texas History shows astronomers with various telescopes setting up to observe the eclipse near Fort Worth.
  • With a world war looming and to obtain another income, young men from around Northeast Texas joined the Texas Army National Guard in 1939-40. Once or twice per week they were required to practice in places like Paris and Greenville, but in late November 1940 they were shocked to be called up for active duty. By April 1943 the men were in Oran, French North Africa, and after more training, a few accidents, thick boredom, practice, and maneuvers, on September 9 the well-prepared 36th Division was part of an invasion at Salerno, Italy. The Texans were now a portion of the 5th Army.
  • The Woodman of the World, organized in 1893, was very popular in Fannin County. It was a fraternal organization which provided a monument over the grave of deceased members. There are many WOW monuments in Fannin County cemeteries. Most, but not all, take the form of a tree stump. The monuments were “unveiled” or “decorated” in often elaborate ceremonies, as these photos from this small rural cemetery show. Thanks to Steve Coker of the Leonard History Museum for sharing these wonderful images with us.
  • The Sam Rayburn House State Historic Site will host a party on Saturday, January 6, 2024 to honor Sam "Mr. Sam" Rayburn on what would have been his 142nd birthday. Join us from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. for fun, games, and activities, including first floor tours of the Rayburn family home! And no birthday would be complete without birthday cake! Admission to Mr. Sam’s Birthday party is free.
  • Lake Texoma, Hwy. 121, Sam Rayburn Memorial Veterans Center, Lake Lavon, Caddo Grasslands. Take a pause and reflect on how the visionary accomplishments of the 48th, 50th & 52nd Speaker of the United States House of Representatives are impacting North Texas in a far greater way now than they did in his lifetime and it becomes a fair assessment that, on his 142nd birthday, Mr. Sam never looked better.
  • Upon learning of the recent death of Gene Diedrick, I recalled conversations I had with him in 2017 about his two brothers who died in World War II. The conversations started when I was contacted by a French woman, Wendy Lopez, who was in a program in which individuals “adopt” a grave of an American soldier. The purpose of the program is to teach younger generations about the sacrifices of these soldiers and to keep their memories alive.
  • Hope Concrete delivering material onsite at Lake Ralph Hall. A lot of material goes into building a lake — especially concrete. Just ask Tim Foley, General Superintendent of Hope Concrete, a local contractor based out of Commerce and Bonham, TX. His team has delivered more than 1500 loads of concrete to date, and will deliver around 750-1000 more for various project components from building new roads to the dam and pump station.
  • Sam "Mr. Sam" Rayburn, the longest serving Speaker of the House in American history, was not known for having a full head of hair throughout most of his life. Yet, we have several brushes and combs in our artifact collection at the Sam Rayburn House State Historic Site – why? Well, Mr. Sam had several family members living with him from the time the family built the house in 1916.
  • USS Sam Rayburn, off the east coast of the U.S., probably while on sea trials, circa 1964. The Sam Rayburn Museum, a division of the Dolph Briscoe Center for American History at the University of Texas at Austin, proudly presents Honoring Their Service, an exhibition of items from the newly created USS Sam Rayburn collection. The exhibit will be on display at the Sam Rayburn Museum beginning Wednesday, December 13, and continuing through Saturday, March 16, 2024. U.S. Navy photograph
  • Just in time for the holidays, the Fannin County Museum of History has published a compilation of the articles celebrating the 175th anniversary of Bonham! Copies are available at the Fannin County Museum of History.
  • Sam Rayburn's funeral remains one of the most memorable and historical gatherings held outside the Washington, D.C. area in all of America's storied past. The crowd outside First Baptist Church in Bonham, estimated at close to 20,000 people, listened on loudspeakers. Inside were four men who would at one time hold our nation's highest office; the sitting President, John Kennedy, former Presidents Harry Truman and Dwight Eisenhower, along with Vice-President Lyndon Johnson, the man would become President on another sad November day two years later, and all listened to a remarkable eulogy given by Elder Grady Ball, a 74-year-old grocer and preacher that presided over the Primitive Baptist Church in Tioga, Texas.
  • In 1894 Dr. T.K. Proctor, a Dodd City surgeon, and others performed an amazing surgery on Alva Moore. Dr. Proctor was here about five years then moved to Sulphur Springs. We have researched over thirty medical professionals who practiced in the Dodd City area. This article continues the story of our town’s medical history.