Historical Marker
Bailey Inglish
Historical marker location:
SH 56 (Sam Rayburn Dr.), Bonham, Texas
( corner of Sam Rayburn & Chinner St.; in front of Fort Inglish Museum)
Marker installed: 1986
(ca. 1797-1867)
In 1837, Bailey Inglish moved his family to this area from western Arkansas, where he had been an influential leader of pioneer settlers. Here he was active in the formation of Fannin County, serving on the land board and later as chief justice. To guard against repeated Indian raids, he built a fort on his land for area residents. The settlement that developed, first know as Bois d'Arc, became Bonham. Inglish was instrumental in its early growth through active public service and donations of land for town lots, a cemetery, and a female seminary.
Texas Sesquicentennial 1836-1986.
Texas has been a major oil-producing state for over a century. The first big oil discovery in Texas was the Spindletop field near Beaumont in 1901, which set off a massive oil boom that transformed the state's economy and made Texas one of the wealthiest states in the country.