Hundreds gathered on Thursday in downtown Bonham for the rededication ceremony of the 1888 Fannin County Courthouse.
Fannin County Judge Randy Moore said, “This whole project started a long time ago. It started in 1999 with Judge Hall and the group commissioners that once has a vision and thought for what might happen in this county and thankfully the judges and commissioners followed in that and picked up that and carried it forward to this day.”
“You are the ones that made this happen. You asked this to happen,” said Moore when stating the restoration was possible because of the people of Fannin County. “Thank you for getting it done.”
State Rep. Reggie Smith and Texas State Senator Bryan Hughes both spoke during the ceremony, along with John Vick of Texas State Senator Bob Hall’s office.
John Crain, Commissioner of Texas Historical Commission, said, “Fannin County residents need to be recognized for their commitment to historical preservation.”
The Texas Historical Commission contributed approximately $6 million to the project.
Former Fannin County Judge, Spanky Carter, gave much credit to Barbara McCutcheon during his speech.
“You need a Barbara McCutcheon. If you are fortunate enough to have a Barbara McCutcheon, you can do anything,” said Judge Carter when sharing what his response is when asked what the secret to success is when taking on a project of this magnitude.
McCutcheon said this day has been, “a long time coming.”
“It was a long time coming for me. I started thinking about the courthouse in the 90s and thought somebody needs to do something about this courthouse,” she said after a standing ovation.
To make this project happen, McCutcheon said, “We the people voted to restore this courthouse. It wasn’t just Barbara anymore.”
She takes no credit for the success of the project but said it was the citizens of Fannin County who made this happen.
McCutcheon explained that there was much discussion about the blue paint used inside the courthouse but that there weren’t many photos of inside the courthouse.
“You may not be a fan of blue but I think she’s beautiful. We are here to celebrate her,” she said.
