Bonham Daily Favorite
Bonham, Fannin County, Texas
Marker Inscription
In 1887 Dr. J. M. Terry, who gave up medicine for journalism, established the "Weekly Fannin Favorite." He expanded in 1892 by starting this newspaper, the oldest daily publication in Fannin County. For 45 years its offices were in the 500 block of North Main before moving here in 1953. Although ownership has changed many times, the award-winning newspaper has maintained high standards of news coverage. The "Daily Favorite" recorded the public career of Sam Rayburn (1882-1961), Congressman from this district and longtime Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Dr. J. M. Terry traded medicine for journalism, founding the Weekly Fannin Favorite in 1887 and expanding in 1892 into what became the oldest daily paper in Fannin County. For decades its presses ran from the 500 block of North Main before the paper moved to this site in 1953. Through many changes of ownership it chronicled local life—including the long career of native son Sam Rayburn, the legendary Speaker of the U.S. House.
Why it matters
A small-town daily like the Favorite was the connective tissue of civic life, and its pages preserved the rise of one of the most powerful figures in 20th-century American politics.
The story behind this marker
AI contextThe era
In the late 19th century, newspapers were the lifeblood of American towns. Before radio, television or the internet, the local paper was where people learned about crop prices, court days, elections, weddings, deaths and the doings of the wider world. Almost every county seat of any ambition supported at least one paper. Many started as weeklies and grew into dailies as their towns prospered.
Bonham, the seat of Fannin County in North Texas near the Red River, was one such town. It took its name from James Butler Bonham, a defender of the Alamo. By the 1880s it was a farming and trading center in a fertile region, a place with enough readers and advertisers to support an ambitious newspaper.
The Favorite was born into that world in 1887 and became a daily in 1892. It went on to cover Fannin County through the Progressive Era, two world wars, the Depression and the decades after. In that time, one of the county's own sons rose to the top of national politics.
People & events
The paper's founder made an unusual career change. Dr. J. M. Terry was trained in medicine but gave it up for journalism. In 1887 he established the Weekly Fannin Favorite, and in 1892 he expanded by launching this daily, which the marker identifies as the oldest daily publication in Fannin County. For a small-town editor, going daily was a bold bet on the county's growth.
For 45 years the paper worked out of the 500 block of North Main. In 1953 it moved to this site. Ownership changed hands many times over the decades, a common fate for small-town papers, but the marker credits the Favorite with keeping high standards of news coverage and earning awards along the way.
The most famous figure in its pages was Sam Rayburn (1882–1961). Rayburn represented this district in Congress for nearly half a century and served as Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives longer than anyone before him. 'Mr. Sam' was famous for keeping close ties to home, and the Daily Favorite recorded his public career from the local vantage point of the people who kept sending him back to Washington.
Its place in the American story
Small-town newspapers like the Bonham Daily Favorite form the backbone of the American historical record. National papers covered Washington, but local dailies captured how national events landed in real communities. Today, historians and genealogists rely on them for details found nowhere else.
The Favorite's link to Sam Rayburn makes that role especially clear. Rayburn helped shape some of the most important legislation of the 20th century, and he did so while staying rooted in his North Texas district. A hometown paper covering a hometown congressman offers a perspective on his career that the national press could not.
The paper's long run, through many owners and more than half a century at the time of its move, also reflects the resilience of local journalism. In an age when many small papers have disappeared, the Favorite's history is a reminder of how much communities once depended on, and still benefit from, a local press.
If you visit
This marker stands at the paper's home since 1953. As you visit, imagine the clatter of presses and the rush to deadline that once defined a small-town daily. Then think of the many decades of Fannin County life that passed through its newsroom.
Bonham is a natural stop for anyone interested in American political history. Sam Rayburn's legacy is preserved here, including his home and the library and museum dedicated to his career. Pairing them with this marker lets you see both the statesman and the local paper that chronicled him.
The town's historic courthouse square and older commercial streets reward a leisurely walk. Bonham also sits within easy reach of other North Texas towns along the Red River country, making it a good anchor for a day of small-town exploring.
Written by AI to add context, grounded in the marker’s inscription and the historical record. The inscription above is the original, unaltered text.
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Related people
- · J. M. Terry
- · Sam Rayburn
Themes & tags
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