Bringing History Back From The Dead: A Librarian Resurrects The Fannin County Courthouse

By Jay Firsching
Senior Historic Preservation Specialist, Architexas

On a hot August Friday, Barbara McCutcheon stood on the square in downtown Bonham and admired the manifestation of her hard work. It was a day of celebration as her decades-long struggle to restore the Fannin County Courthouse, her passion project.

But it was in 2010 that the longtime director of Bonham’s library was asked what other career she would choose if given the chance.

“I know what it would be. Architecture. Restoration. Everybody knows I am trying to get that courthouse restored,” McCutcheon said. “I would be an architect.” 

A Legacy of Courthouses

For anyone unfamiliar with the topic, Texas has an impressive collection of historic courthouses, with many constructed in what has been dubbed “the golden age of Texas courthouses” near the end of the 19th century.

Landowners in newly formed counties worked hard to have the county seat established on their land. By donating enough land for a public square, a landowner could exponentially increase the value of their surrounding property overnight. Already established communities could similarly increase their values by being named the seat of government. County business brought people to town, and with that came commerce.   

The construction of an elaborate courthouse served to cement a town’s position as a county seat. Few counties would make a change of location after such a substantial public investment. They also served an important symbolic role; courthouses were a source of pride and community identity. And for those new to the frontier, they represented stability, law, and order.

To ensure equal shares of the economic benefits to businesses on the square, courthouses were often built with four entrances, leaving no one at the back of the building. 

Change Through The Years

Fannin County was part of the courthouse boom. In 1888, the county joined its contemporaries by erecting a beautiful French Second Empire building with elaborate stonework and a soaring clock tower. The Fannin County courthouse was designed by one of the state’s most prolific architects of the day, Wesley Clark Dodson, with his partner at the time, William Dudley.

After 40 years of service, a 1929 fire sent the tower and its bell crashing through to the floors below, the first of many unfortunate changes. 

In 1930 the building was partially reconstructed. While the exterior walls were retained, the roof was flattened, much of the ornamental stone embellishment removed, and the interior completely reworked. As part of a 1966 modernization, the entire building was encased in a new limestone skin. By this point, any remaining hints of the 1888 interiors were removed or covered entirely. Even the two-story courtroom was divided into two floors. By the 1990s, the overcrowded building was nearing the end of its useful life. 

In 2000, a courthouse renaissance began.

A state-funded grant program administered by the Texas Historical Commission was launched to help counties restore their buildings while making them functionally modern, safe, and accessible. And as was true in the 19th century, economics and community identity are still important driving factors.

Restored courthouses have dramatically lower maintenance costs and, thanks to modern and efficient infrastructure, provide lower operational costs. In the 75 counties with restored courthouses, communities are seeing as much as a 250 percent increase in property values around the square and a two-fold increase in business occupancy rates. Statewide, the courthouse grant program has generated a $690 million increase in generated income and $850 million in additional gross state product.  

A Fighting Chance

This same grant program provided Barbara McCutcheon with the ammunition she needed to begin her fight in earnest.

As an advocate, organizer, and educator, she worked steadily in her traditionally conservative community to build momentum, including politically supporting pro-restoration candidates for county office. Losing far more battles than were won, and in the face of several disappointing setbacks, Barbara and a strong base of courthouse advocates persisted, and the tide slowly turned in their favor. Finally, in 2016 the county was offered a grant, and the citizens voted to accept it.  

Architexas — an award-winning architectural firm — is overseeing the restoration of the Fannin County Courthouse.

A team of contractors worked with the architect to remove decades of changes to the courthouse and reveal what remained of the 1888 construction. With the building revealed, Architexas used historic photographs and their expertise from restoring of dozens of courthouses to complete the final architectural drawings.

Restoration of the damaged stonework has been one of the biggest challenges. Each stone was surveyed for repair, and the local quarry for the 1888 construction was re-opened for the fabrication of missing pieces. The courthouse has slowly reemerged and Turner Construction says the project should reach completion by the end of 2021.   

Even with state assistance, courthouse restoration projects require a major commitment from the county. Many Fannin County citizens doubt that economic benefits will be realized, and even as the project progresses, skepticism remains.

The faithful and skeptics alike gathered on the courthouse square in Bonham on August 20th to observe the physical and symbolic manifestation of their efforts. The Fannin County courthouse clock tower, prefabricated by Campbellsville Industries of Kentucky and brought to Bonham on a dozen trucks, was slowly lifted into place, bringing the original glory of the building into full view.

Barbara McCutcheon kept a low profile and avoided local reporters after the show.

“I need my sunglasses,” she said. “I don’t want anyone to see I was crying.” 

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Jay Firsching is the Senior Historic Preservation Specialist at Architexas — a planning, architecture, and historic preservation firm. Jay is a member of Preservation Dallas and served as Vice Chair of Dallas Central Business District, West End, and Individual Sites Task Force, for eighteen years. In his spare time Jay enjoys his own DIY conservation projects and can be found camping in his vintage VW Westfalia with his wife, Amelia, and daughters, Sydney and Isabella.