The 5th in a series of articles for the
175th Anniversary of Bonham
Bonham, Texas -- Early in the mid-1850s the Bonham Post Office was located on the north side of the Square, but it was moved to South Main Street and that street became known as “Post Office Row.” The Post Office remained on Post Office Row for about 30 years.
Around 1885 the Bonham Post Office moved to the northeast corner of Center Street and 5th Street, where Legend Bank is now located. You can see the Post Office on the right side of the photo below.
Construction on the current Post Office building on south Center Street began in 1912 and it opened for business on March 2, 1914. On the evening of Saturday, February 28, 1914, a reception was held at the new post office for the citizens of Bonham, and about 1,000 people attended.
Below are photographs showing the building under construction.
The citizens of Bonham were very proud of the new building. A newspaper article stated:
“As you enter the splendid corridor you are at once struck with the magnificent proportions of the building. The ceiling is high and the columns and everything in the corridor at once impress you with the perfect equipoise of the proportions of the structure.”
A surprising (to me) feature of the new building was that it had a general toilet and bath room, to be used exclusively by the carriers. This room had a “shower bath, where a tired carrier can go, after a tramp over his route, and have a refreshing bath. It is hardly necessary to state that the entire building is supplied with hot and cold water, and that it has sewerage, there being several water closets.”
This is a lovely image of the new building.
The Post Office was a very important institution in earlier times. Mail would arrive on the train several times a day and be put in boxes throughout the day. Letters would arrive in “General Delivery” for those without boxes or addressed to travelers.
This wonderful photo shows the rural mail carriers of about 1914.
The Fannin County Museum of History obtained some of the original post office boxes and the service desk which were removed when the Bonham Post Office was renovated in the 1940s. These items were first moved to the Telephone Post Office, and then in 1991 to the Museum. This is a popular display in the Museum. Drop by the Museum to see the Post Office display and many other interesting and beautiful items.
