Bonham dates to 1837, and 17% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 88% of U.S. towns · #6 of 642 in Texas. What drives it
5 places in town are on the National Register, among them the Samuel T. Rayburn House, a National Historic Landmark, and a historic district with 13 buildings. 5 places in town are on the National Register, among them the Samuel T. Rayburn House, a National Historic Landmark, and a historic district with 13 buildings. Below: 5 old photos and papers, maps from 1885 on, and the census since 1850.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1843.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Bonham’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Bonham is more historic than 88% of U.S. towns, #6 of 642 in Texas. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its National Register listings ranks highest and its share of homes from before 1940 lowest.
A
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Bonham’s overall grade.
Few Texas towns list much on the Register (a typical Texas town has 0.0 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Bonham’s 20.6 sits above most of its state (90% of Texas towns have fewer) while its 22 historic buildings outnumber those of 80% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from A− to A. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±4.9 points). Two sources give 1837.
Founding year: Wikidata (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about Bonham’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.
One of Texas's oldest cities, Bonham dates to 1837, when Bailey Inglish built a two-story blockhouse, named Fort Inglish, about 2 miles (3 km) from the current downtown. Inglish and other acquaintances settled there in the summer of 1837, and the settlement was named "Bois d'Arc". The Congress of the Republic of Texas named the city Bloomington in 1843, but renamed it Bonham in honor of James Butler Bonham, a defender of the Alamo. On February 2, 1848, Bonham was incorporated as a city. A 1936 statue of Bonham by Texas sculptor Allie Tennant is on the courthouse grounds.
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
In 1837, according to Wikidata. Bonham’s post office opened in 1843, and the census of 1850 counted 211 people here.
How does Bonham rank for history?
Bonham is more historic than 88% of U.S. towns, #6 of 642 in Texas. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
What is on the National Register in Bonham?
5 listings: 4 buildings, among them the Samuel T. Rayburn House (a National Historic Landmark since 1976), and 1 historic district, the Bonham VA Hospital, with 13 contributing buildings. 22 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Bonham?
17% of Bonham’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±4.9 points), against a typical 1.6% for a Texas town; the median home was built in 1975.
Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
From Wikimedia Commons (12), the National Register of Historic Places (5), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
★ Landmark
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