[The first in a series of articles
for the 175th Anniversary of Bonham]

Bailey Inglish in 1837 built Ft. Inglish, a blockhouse and stockade, on 1,250 acres of land located on Bois d’Arc Creek near timber and water supplies.

The Fannin County seat was first established at Warren on Red River, but when the Texas Legislature in 1842 passed a law requiring every county seat to be as near to the geographic center of the county as possible Bois d’Arc became county seat on January 26, 1843.

Bois d’Arc was renamed Bonham on February 26, 1844, in honor of James Butler Bonham who died at the Alamo.

On February 2, 1848, Bonham was incorporated as a city.

The creation of the county seat provided the impetus for Bonham to grow, however slowly. At the midpoint of the 19th century the nucleus was well established and Bonham took on more distinct characteristics of a town.

The newspaper at Clarksville (The Standard), contained in 1853-54 advertisements for businesses in Bonham, which provide a lot of information on the life at that time.

“The stable is always well furnished with Corn and Fodder.”

“We have stock purchased at Philadelphia and New York.”

“Cow Bells, Brass Kettles.”  “Razors and Razor Straps.”

A pioneer wrote:  “In those days all goods and groceries were hauled in wagons from Jefferson and Houston, principally by ox teams. The first steam engine that ever came to Fannin County was brought in on a wagon by Thomas Williams. He hauled it from Houston with ten yolk of oxen to his mill two miles south of Bonham, on the banks of Bois d'Arc creek. They were six weeks making the trip. It had rained and the roads were muddy.”

Bonham had four stores—C. C. Alexander, J. W. and J. R, Russell & Company, Nunnelee & Hofford and W. D. and J. B. Oliphint. Alexander did a large wholesale business, furnishing the forts and outposts of this frontier for 150 miles to the north and west. There was not a day during the year but he was receiving and unloading goods and also selling and sending off goods.  His purchases amounted to probably more than half a million dollars per year. J. W. and J. R. Russell also did a large wholesale trade. The other merchants confined themselves to a retail business, which brought customers for thirty miles around.

Of course no photographs exist of these early days, but the photo below of the west side of the Square is one of the earliest we have.

The Fannin County Museum of History, located a few blocks south of the Courthouse Square in Bonham in the old Texas & Pacific Train Depot, has many items relating to the early days of Bonham.  Drop into the Museum to see these items and many more.  The Museum is open Tuesday-Saturday, noon – 4:00 p.m.