Bonham, Texas -- Join us Saturday, May 3, 2025, for a fun filled morning celebrating all things bois d’arc at the Fannin County Courthouse, located at 101 E. Sam Rayburn Dr, Bonham, TX 75418. What better way to celebrate Bonham / Fannin County’s relationship with bois d’arc than on Bonham Heritage Day.
At 10:00 a.m., City and County officials will welcome representatives of the Caddo Nation and the French Consulate in the courtroom located on the second floor of the Fannin County Courthouse. Members of this distinguished group will then be presented with special Bois d’Arc pens made by Fannin County resident, David Keene. David has been presenting local and State officials with these pens for over a decade. From swearing in ceremonies to official state visits, these pens have become synonymous with public duty and pride representing our past, present & future.
Please note that “commemorative” Bois d’Arc pens will be available for purchase the day of the event at the Creative Arts Center, located at 200 W. 5th St. Bonham, TX 75418.
The public and guests are then invited to the planting of a “special” bois d'arc tree on the grounds of the historic Fannin County Courthouse. This event will start at 11:00 a.m. and will be hosted by the Bonham Area Chamber of Commerce. The tree was picked out and donated by Texoma’s very own and well-known Bois d’Arc Tree expert, John Baecht. John is the social media creator and administrator of a Facebook Page aptly named, Bois DArc Kingdom, yielding 18,000 plus followers and growing daily. John will have a bois d’arc woodworking station set up on the grounds of the courthouse and be doing demonstrations the remainder of the day for Heritage Day.
Why the French & the Caddo? The Bonham / Fannin County connection with bois d’arc wood begins in the 1700s when the French explorers came across the Caddo Indians in Northeast Texas. The French soon realized that the local Indians had a flourishing business trading what the Caddo called “wood of the arc” or “bow wood” with other tribes from a wide area. The French translation of this impenetrable, highly sought after wood is bois d’arc. The Caddo were instrumental in teaching the French how to use wood from the bois d’arc tree.
This gave way to settlements and stability in an otherwise unforgiving land. The phrase bois d'arc was passed down to our settlers who named their territory the Village of Bois d’Arc located on Bois d’Arc Creek. This would be our city’s name until it was renamed Bonham in 1840, after the fallen Alamo war hero James Butler Bonham.
Over 180 years later, the name bois d’arc was requested to honor important local history and recognize the bois d’arc tree as a distinctive symbol with special significance for the region. The citizens and officials of Bonham and Fannin County fought to change the name of Texas’ newest reservoir, located in Fannin County, from The North Texas Municipal Lake to the Bois d’Arc Lake. The U.S. Department of the Interior officially recognized the name Bois d’Arc Lake on February 21, 2022.
We look forward to our citizens and many visitors enjoying all that Bonham, TX has to offer on May 3, 2025.
“Vive le Bois d’Arc - Long Live Bois d’Arc”
Event(s) Timeline -
10:00am - Welcome Reception at the Fannin Courthouse (2nd floor Courtroom)
10:30am - Bois d’Arc Pen Presentation Fannin County Courthouse (2nd floor Courtroom)
11:00am - Bois d’Arc Tree Planting Ceremony Fannin County Courthouse Grounds
10am to 10pm - Bonham Heritage Day Festival (Downtown Bonham)
10am to 6pm - Red River Arts Festival (Creative Arts Center, Bonham)
For more information about this event please contact Jenniffer Self Knight at the City of Bonham, 903-583-7555 ext. 223 / email jself@cityofbonham.org.
For more information about Bonham Heritage Day please contact Melissa Maxwell at the Bonham Visitor Center, 903-583-9830 / info@visitbonham.com.
