The 9th in a series of articles
for the 175th Anniversary of Bonham
Although none of the original homes remain, the Russell Heights neighborhood of Bonham was in the late 19th and early 20th centuries the elite neighborhood of Bonham. Centered what is now Russell Avenue, it contained grand homes built on full city blocks.
John W. “Jim” Russell built the first house.
The grounds of these homes included barns for horses and buggies before the coming of the automobile. Most of the homes had tennis courts.
According to an article by Dr. William F. King, the lives of the people of Russell Heights were filled with sports events, dances, operas, parties and other social activities. Some “house parties” lasted several days. Russell Heights had its own opera house and a skating rink, which was also used as a dance hall.
Most of the men of Russell Heights held professional positions in the community and were also generous toward civic improvements. There was a gun club called the “Skeet Club.”
The ladies held elaborate luncheons and parties. The homes were lavishly decorated for these parties with flowers and beautiful dishes, and detailed write-ups about these parties were in the newspaper.
Russell Heights was not within the Bonham city limits, but in the later days of Russell Heights the children attended the Bonham public schools.
As discussed in the previous article on the Bonham street car, the men of Russell Heights established a street car that ran from Russell Heights into Bonham.
Lake St. Clair was in Russell Heights and provided an opportunity for swimming. In some years there was ice skating on Lake St. Clair. The kids also played hockey.
The race track was located where the old Bonham golf club was.
The baseball field was also located in the area.
Most of the houses eventually burned. Because Russell Heights was outside the city limits, there were no fire hydrants and it took a long time for the Bonham Fire Department to arrive and address a fire.
Eventually the lots were subdivided and smaller homes built. In 1942 the Bonham Housing Company started building new houses in Russell Heights on land northeast of the Golf Club. In 1957 the Bel-Air Addition in Russell Heights was begun, with 42 new homes.