Old copies of the Bonhi Weekly dating back to 1918 are brittle and yellowed with age now, but fortunately they were safely stored away by a wise librarian, Glenda Meador, who appreciated the history those crumbling pages represent. Back in 1928, the University of Texas gave its 1,200 incoming freshmen an English exam designed to divide the class into sections based on aptitude. Of the 1,200 first-year students, only 27 received a grade of 90 or above. No one should be surprised to know that Austin High ranked first in Texas with five graduates deserving of an “A.” But would you believe Bonham High School tied Dallas High for second place?

On November 28, 1839, upon motion by Daniel Rowlett, the Republic of Texas expanded the western boundary to include land that later became Grayson, Collin, Cooke, Denton, Montague, Wise, Clay, Jack, Wichita, Archer, Young, Wilbarger, Baylor, Throckmorton, Hardeman, Foard, Knox, Haskell, Stonewall, King, Cottle, and Childress counties, as well as parts of Hunt and Collingsworth counties.

(L-R) Robyn Dockery, Regina Wallace and Jaylen Wallace were working hard on the serving line to keep up with the crowd at the annual Gober BBQ on Sunday, June 22, 2025. As you would expect of one of the oldest counties in North Texas, Fannin County has a rich heritage of close-knit agricultural communities with traditional celebrations.

Ft. Inglish Village welcomes new staff members Don and Jo Cofer. They bring a love of history and many skills to help maintain the various buildings and attractions at Ft. Inglish. There is no charge to visit the Fort, but donations are appreciated.

Cory Morrow headlined the Fannin Agricultural Association's 3rd Annual Steaks on Main cook-off and free concert in historic downtown Bonham. Some of the region's best grilling teams competed for $5,000 of prize money in the cook-off but the biggest winners may be local FFA organizations and 4-H clubs that benefit from this event's proceeds and carry on the area's proud agricultural tradition.

Fannin County is home to several outstanding fruit farms, including peaches and strawberries. The Andy and Debra Walker’s multigenerational blueberry patch is one that fruit enthusiasts won't want to miss. Forty years ago, seven hundred blueberry plants were meticulously planted by Harold and Oleta Walker, a pair of farmers always fighting to be ahead of the next big trend.

As the world embraces cleaner energy and electric vehicles (EVs), the production of renewable energy and its storage is driving a shift towards more sustainable technology. However, behind this transition lies a growing concern. Lithium, a key component in batteries, presents significant environmental and safety hazards that are often overlooked.

Heritage Day Festival headliner Josh Weathers performs for the crowd Saturday night in historic downtown Bonham, Texas. During the annual Bonham Heritage Day Festival, residents paid homage to the original inhabitants of this region -- the Caddo Nation -- and to the intrepid French trappers who ventured up from New Orleans in the 1700s in search of pelts.

The public is invited to the planting of a "special" bois d'arc tree on the grounds of the historic Fannin County Courthouse at 11:00 a.m. Saturday, May 3, 2025, during Bonham Heritage Day. The tree was picked out and donated by Texoma’s very own and well-known bois d'arc tree expert, John Baecht, who will have a bois d’arc woodworking station set up on the grounds of the courthouse and will be doing demonstrations the remainder of the day for Heritage Day. What better way to celebrate Bonham / Fannin County’s relationship with bois d’arc than on Bonham Heritage Day.

Water is flowing through five new streams in North Texas this spring, bringing life back to areas impacted for decades by severe erosion and habitat loss. Upper Trinity Regional Water District (UTRWD) restored the streams as part of environmental mitigation for future Lake Ralph Hall, Texas’s newest major lake under construction near Ladonia.

In conjunction with Heritage Day and the Vive le Bois d’Arc celebration on May 3, the Fannin County Museum of History is delighted to have a display of prehistoric and Caddo artifacts in the display case on the 2nd floor of the Fannin County Courthouse.

You walk into the Credit Union of Texas, Don Toro or Studio 94 on the east side of the Bonham square, into Belle Rae's on the north, into Blessing & Butterflies or The Curiosity Shop on Main south of the Courthouse: do you look down? What do you see when you cross the threshold into these businesses? Do you see Bonham's past?

I was curious about the relationship between Harry S Truman and Sam Rayburn because of a piece of corn. Currently at the Sam Rayburn Museum there is corn on the cob encased in resin on display in the "Gifts of a Nation" display case. No one is completely certain why Rayburn had it, but Truman has the same one. This is what led me to look into the friendship between Rayburn and Truman. The two men shared a tight bond throughout their political careers. courtesy photo of Harry Truman and Sam Rayburn at the Sam Rayburn House in Bonham

Bonham resident Kay Sisk has collected postcards of Bonham for many years, finding them at trade shows and estate sales. Some of the postcards were given away free by local businesses, and some were sold. The Fannin County Museum of History asked Kay to display some of her postcards in the display case on the 2nd floor of the courthouse.

Please join us at the March meeting of the Fannin County Historical Commission on March 18 at 6:00 p.m. to learn about the contributions of Mabel Gilbert, a very early Fannin County pioneer, to Fannin County, Dallas and points west. Deborah Cornelius has written a historical novel about his remarkable life and times. Join us at 6:00 p.m. on March 18 at the Fannin County Historical Commission’s office at 1 Center Street in Bonham to meet Deborah and learn about Mabel Gilbert’s time in Fannin County.

A large crowd filled Lyday Hall at Honey Grove Library & Learning Center on Saturday, March 1, 2025, to hear what local archeologist Cody Davis and his cohorts discovered in the area that is now covered by Bois d'Arc Lake.

When Kalin and Tricia moved their young family from the city to rural Fannin County, it was a dream they had worked and saved to make come true -- to escape the noise and chaos of the metroplex for a peaceful existence, surrounded by woodlands, wildlife and serenity. Then they heard bulldozers clearing trees.

"Japanese War Brides: Across a Wide Divide" begins a national tour December 14 at Irving Archives and Museum in Irving, Texas. These young women left their homes to build lives within the complexities of postwar American society. Their experiences reshaped communities by challenging immigration laws and race relations. The arrival of these brides marked the largest women-only immigration event in U.S. history and, by 1960, had increased the population of Asian Americans in the U.S. by 10%.

The Fannin County Museum of History has several Fannin County history books for sale that might be just perfect for someone you know. The books are available for purchase at the Museum and are also available on Amazon.

Historic Fannin County newspapers often featured beautiful front pages for their Christmas editions. An exhibit of these newspapers is now on display on the 2nd Floor of the Fannin County Courthouse. Visit the courthouse during this season to view this display and beautiful decorations.

Upper Trinity's contractors are finishing up construction on five new streams near future Lake Ralph Hall, which will flow into the North Sulphur River. The newly connected tributary streams are naturally beginning to flow with rainwater this fall, bringing life back to areas impacted for decades by severe erosion and loss of habitat. Restoring the tributaries of the river to their natural, curved paths helps mitigate the area's severe erosion and provide previously lost habitat.