Biard Home
Bonham, Fannin County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Built 1857 by hemp factory owner Z. K. Sims. Later owned by Thomas R. Williams, industrialist who brought to Bonham Dr. Charles Carlton, founder of Carlton College; Col. James Q. Chenoweth, first auditor of the U.S. Treasury; Judges James C. Clark and R. M. Lusk. Biard residence since 1909. RTHL - 1964
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Built in 1857 by hemp-factory owner Z. K. Sims, this Bonham residence later belonged to industrialist Thomas R. Williams, who drew a remarkable circle to town, including a college founder, a U.S. Treasury auditor, and two judges. The Biard family has held it since 1909. Its roster of owners reads like a directory of a striving antebellum and Gilded Age community.
Why it matters
A single house can gather the threads of a town's ambitions, linking industry, education, and public service under one roof across generations.
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Related people
- · Z. K. Sims
- · Thomas R. Williams
- · Charles Carlton
- · James Q. Chenoweth
Themes & tags
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