Fannin County - American Courthouses

Fannin County is named for James Walker Fannin Jr., who was the commander of a group of Texans killed in the Goliad Massacre.

Surrounding County Courthouses:

N – Bryan County, Oklahoma

E – Lamar County

S – Delta County, Hunt County and Collin County

W – Collin County and Grayson County

Created: December 14. 1837

County Seat:

Warren 1838 – 1843

Bois D’Arc 1843 – 1844

Bonham 1844 – present

County Courthouse – Bonham

Location: 100 East Sam Rayburn Drive / North Center Street

Built: 1887 – 1888 / 2018 – 2021

Style: Art Deco / Classical Revival

Architect: Wesley Clark Dodson and Dudley / Architexas

Contractor: Kane & Cormack / Turner Construction Company

Description: The building faces south and is a three story Lueders limestone and concrete structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Bonham. The south front has a projecting center section with recessed entrance on the first story. Above are vertical narrow windows with clock at the top. On the east and west are projecting sections with vertical windows. The roof line is flat. In the interior is the large two story County District Court courtroom. . The building houses the County District Court and Constitutional County Court of the 1st Administrative Judicial Region. The building was restored in 1929 to 1930 after a fire. The architect was Sparger & Peters and the contractor was Allen & Bragg. The building was remodeled in 1965. The architect was Fred Buford & Associates of Dallas and the contractor was B-F-W Construction Company of Temple, Arizona. The building was remodeled to reflect the courthouse as it was in 1888. The work was completed in 2022. The architect was Architexas and the contractor was J Q Engineers and Turner Construction Company.

See: The architect, Wesley Clark Dodson of Waco, also designed the courthouses in Coryell County, Denton County, Hill County, Hood County, Lampasas County and Parker County.

See: The 1st Administrative Judicial Region has a main office in McKinney in Collin County.

History: The county was created in 1837 and the Commissioners Court had met at the cabin of Jacob Black in 1836 before the county was created. Warren (near Ambrose now in Grayson County) was selected as the county seat in 1838 when the county was organized. The first courthouse was a two story oak and cedar structure built in 1840. In 1843, the county seat was moved to Bois d’Arc (changed to Bonham in 1844). The second courthouse was a small log structure. Later another cabin connected by a breezeway was built. The third courthouse was a two story brick structure built in in 1881. The fourth courthouse was a three story native stone structure built by Kane and Cormack both stonemasons in 1887 to 1888. The courthouse clock steeple was destroyed by fire in 1929 and the courthouse was remodeled and continued in use until remodeled in 1965 to 1977 with a façade of Leuders stone. The courthouse was substantially renovated from 2018 to 2021 returning the building to its 1888 appearance at a cost of $26,963,000.

Temporary County Courthouse – Bonham

Location: 210 South Main Street / South 3rd Street

Built: Unknown

Style: Modern Church

Architect: Unknown

Contractor: Unknown

Description: The building faces north and is a one story buff colored brick and concrete structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds to the south of the courthouse. The building was originally a church. The County District Court courtroom is located on the northwest side. The roof is hipped. The building houses the County District Court of the 1st Administrative Judicial Region. In 2022, the court returned to the courthouse.