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HONEY GROVE,
TEXAS
Fannin County,
Central Texas North
/ East Texas
33° 35' 10" N, 95° 54' 26" W ( 33.586111, -95.907222)
US 82, State Hwy 56 & 34, FM 100 and 824
16 miles E of Bonham the county
seat
39 miles N of Greenville
42 miles E of Sherman
90 miles NE of Dallas
Central Business District
ZIP code 75446
Area code 903
Population: 1,737 Est. (2019)
1,668 (2010) 1,746 (2000) 1,681 (1990)
Book Hotel Here › Bonham
Hotels |
Classing Cotton
for Export - Blocker Millers Co's Classing Room,
Honey Grove, Texas
Postmarked July 23, 1910
Courtesy
The
Will Beauchamp Collection |
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The Spanish
searched for El Dorado, but early settlers in the 19th Century were
looking for "a honey pond and a fritter tree." If it was under the
Rock Candy Mountain, then all the better.
Supposedly, Davy
Crockett had camped here on his way to the Alamo
and described the place in glowing terms to a friend back in Tennessee,
who eventually settled here.
Now, if you're traveling to northeast Texas, you're probably going
to visit Bonham or Paris.
That's fine with us and it's fine with the folks at Honey Grove.
But if you were to speed by and not take a look at this neat and
beguiling little town, then you'd be missing a lot of what you take
trips for.
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A young blade from Honey Grove circa 1895,
Cabinet Card |
Honey Grove,
Texas Landmarks
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The beautiful
Bertha Voyer Memorial Library
on the NE corner of Highway 56 and Sixth Street.
Photo courtesy Stephen
Michaels, April 2008 |
Jacob
Fein, a stone mason from Germany who worked on the State
Capitol came to Honey Grove and found lots of stone in Floyd's
quarry, just south of town. Mr. Floyd of course had found it first,
or it would've been called Fein's quarry.
Because of Fein's skills and Floyd's stone, Honey Grove now has more
handsome structures for a town its size than any other in NE Texas.
Buildings in Honey Grove made from Floyd's stone include:
The First State Bank Building on 5th and Market
The City Hall Building and
The
McKenzie United Methodist Church on the corner of Pecan and
7th Street.
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Honey Grove City
Hall historical marker
Photo courtesy Stephen
Michaels, April 2008 |
Historical Marker:
Hickory & 6th St.
Honey Grove
City Hall
In 1885, ten years
after the town of Honey Grove was incorporated, Mayor J. P. Gilmer
brought to the attention of the City Council the need for a city hall
and jail building. This structure was completed four years later.
It is Fannin County's
only original civic building that is still standing.
The minutes of the City Council meetings during the years 1885-1889
are full of the deliberations concerning the construction of the city
hall, including the matters of lot selection, financing, selection
of a builder, and selection of material. A piece of property secured
by the City Hall and Jail Committee in 1886 later was thought to be
too small to serve Honey Grove's future needs, and this site was selected
in 1888. The Fannin County Commissioners Court offered $500 in financial
aid, but when the commissioners requested a 25% interest in the building,
the City Council voted to reject their offer.
W. N. Allen was awarded the construction contract in October 1888.
Stone for the building was secured from the Floyd Quarry, an early
Honey Grove industry. Bad weather delayed the completion of the new
city hall and jail until October 1889. It has since continued to serve
as the seat of government in Honey Grove.
1985 |
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Honey
Grove Feed & Hardware store building
Photo courtesy Stephen
Michaels, April 2008 |
| On the south
side of Honey Grove's main street (State Highway 56) is a small
park shaded by a stabilized ruin of an old brick building. The
vines and plants make this one of the most appealing pocket parks
we've seen anywhere in the state. |
Honey Grove,
Texas Forum
I LOVE HONEY GROVE.
WOULD LOVE TO LIVE THERE.I SPENT SOME TIME WITH A FRIEND OF MINE THAT
LIVED THERE A FEW YRS. AGO & ENJOYED EVERY LAST MINUTE OF IT. WE WOULD
WALK TO TOWN & HAVE SUPPER, SIT IN THE SQUARE & LOOK AT ALL THE OLD
BUILDINGS. OH THOSE BUILDINGS COULD TALK. WILL BE BACK SOME DAY SOON,
I HOPE. THANKS FOR THE MEMORIES! - Peggy Babb, Midland, 20/May/2002 |
| Texas
Escapes, in its purpose to preserve historic, endangered and vanishing
Texas, asks that anyone wishing to share their local history, stories
and recent/vintage/historic photos, please contact
us. |
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