Spanish-American War Memorial

This Spanish-American War Memorial now rests in the northwest section of the Courthouse grounds.

This memorial was created by Bonham businessman Sam Howard as a tribute to the Bonham men who served in the Spanish-Ameircan War.

It states: Erected 1898. In Honor of the Victories of the American Navy over the Spanish Navy at Manila May 1, 1898 under Dewey and Santiago de Cuba July 9 1898Santiago de Cuba July 3 1898, under Sampson and Schley.

The marker shows the Battleship Maine which sank in the harbor of Havana and set off the war.

Sam Howard owned Bonham Wholesale Grocery. The Memorial was originally placed in a column on the outside of the Grocery. You can see it in the photo in the column on the right side of the photo.

The marker was found buried under layers of concrete after the building burned in 1964.

It was placed on the south side of the Courthouse grounds in a dedication ceremony on August 12, 1976. The Bonham Daily Favorite reported at that time that 103 men from Fannin County served in the Army during the Spanish-American War.