Discover 5 hidden attractions, cool sights, and unusual things to do in Bonham (United States). Don't miss out on these must-see attractions: Sam Rayburn House Museum, Fannin County Courthouse, and Bonham State Park - Texas Parks and Wildlife. Also, be sure to include Fannin County Museum of History in your itinerary.
Below, you can find the list of the most amazing places you should visit in Bonham (Texas).
Table of Contents
Sam Rayburn House Museum
Museum in Fannin County, Texas. The Sam Rayburn House Museum is a historic house museum at 890 West Texas State Highway 56 in Bonham, Fannin, Texas. Built in 1916, it was home to Sam Rayburn, a famously effective Speaker of the United States House of Representatives. It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1976. Since 1972, it has been operated as a museum and state historic site by the Texas Historical Commission.[1]
Address: 890 W State Highway 56, 75418-8605 Bonham
Fannin County Courthouse
Courthouse. The Fannin County Courthouse is a historic courthouse building located in Bonham, Fannin County, Texas. Built in 1888-1889 of rough-cut local limestone from Gober by Scottish-born stonemasons Kane and Cormack, it was designed in the Second Empire style of architecture by Waco-based architect Wesley Clark Dodson of the firm Dodson and Dudley. As built it was similar in appearance to the Hood County Courthouse Dodson designed shortly after it. Its central clock tower and elaborate mansard roof were destroyed by fire on New Year's Eve, December 31, 1929, and were replaced by a flat roof. In 1965 the courthouse was modernized, the remaining roof pediments were removed and the exterior was covered with a smooth surface of what is called Lueders stone or Lueders limestone, so that it appeared to be a Moderne or rather plain Art Deco building.
In 2008 the county received a state historical renovation grant and discussion ensued about whether to restore the building to its earlier grandeur.
On November 8, 2016, a courthouse restoration bond proposal was passed by Fannin County voters. This $12.5 million bond, in conjunction with a matching $5 million grant from the Texas Historical Commission, will restore the courthouse to its original 1888 design.[2]
Address: 411 Chestnut, Bonham
Bonham State Park - Texas Parks and Wildlife
State park, Park, Relax in park
Address: 1363 State Park 24, Bonham, TX 75418, 75418-9285 Bonham
Fannin County Museum of History
History museum, Museum
Address: 1 N Main St, 75418-4345 Bonham
Sam Rayburn Library and Museum
Museum. The Sam Rayburn Library and Museum is a public research center, library, and museum at 800 West Sam Rayburn Drive in Bonham, Texas. It was built in 1957 as a working library and research center for Sam Rayburn, the influential United States Congressman who holds the record as the longest-serving Speaker of the United States House of Representatives. The building, designed by Roscoe DeWitt, is the most prominent example of Classical Revival architecture in Fannin County, expressly evoking the Classical architecture of Washington, DC. The library is now operated as part of the Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, part of the University of Texas at Austin.
The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2005.[3]