About Fannin County, TX

After some good feedback, lots of phone calls and still ironing out the details, here it is:

North Texas Help-U-Build and M. G. Michaud & Associates are proud to sponsor the First Annual Wild Hog Roundup in Fannin County.

Attention RE Agents: You can use this event to attract business by either by purchasing spots on the hunt and giving them away to your clients as appreciation gifts or you can offer $50 discount coupon codes for the hunt to prospects or clients.

If you are interested in using this to promote your business, all I need is your name, your contact information, and I'll post your link up on the event site as a place to get get discount tickets.

Here's the flyer:

Full details are being loaded to the fanninfun website this weekend.

We will also have B&B packages, cabins and lodging and shopping packages for the non-participants who may want to come with you for the weekend.

If you have any interest in attending, sending clients or how to use this to get traffic for your business, let me know.

"If only . . "

Probably the saddest phrase in the English language.

It normally precedes some statement of regret, loss or suffering.

In real estate, that phrase can be heard alot today.

• If only I hadn't bought at the top of the market.
• If only I had bought the lake lot next to mine.
• If only I hadn't invested in that REIT a couple of years ago.
• If only I had hired a professional for my remodel.
• If only I hadn't tried to sell my home myself.
  
• If only I lived in Texas today. (I have to get the plug in somewhere!)
• If only . . .

If you live in Texas, I'm here to prevent another "If only" moment.

Have you ever been to Granbury, Fredericksburg or Jefferson? These are gorgeous old towns that have reinvented themselves into destination communities for the Metroplex, the Hill Country and deep East Texas respectively.

Granbury is in Hood County, SW of Forth Worth about 35 miles. I graduated from high school in Granbury and was there when the town began to redevelop itself into the "go to" destination it is today. Granbury has become the poster child for small Texas town redevelopment. Granbury was so successful that they made the front page of the travel section of the London Times back in 1978!

Fredericksburg is in Gillespie County, west of Austin in the heart of the hill country. It is an old German settlement town with a fantastic history. Admiral Nimitz of WWII fame is from there. That town has become the destination for Austin and San Antonio with its shops, festivals, events and restored historic homes. I've actually supplied antique lumber to a couple of restoration jobs there.

Jefferson is in Marion County, north of Marshall in east Texas. It is the capital of antebellum B&B homes in Texas. It used to be the #1 riverport in Texas before the rail roads came through. In fact, if rail roads either hadn't been invented or they had run through Jefferson, then Jefferson would in all likelyhood be like Houston today. As it is, this small town is well known for its historic preservation, bayous and charm.

Back to "If only . . . "

What do these towns have to do with "If only"?

Would you like to be buying a business in those towns today? I probably would. However, I would prefer to have bought BEFORE they became the destinations they are today. And that brings me to avoiding the melancholy "If only".

Bonham, the count seat of Fannin County, and the county itself have all the makings of the weekend destination for the Metroplex. It has the small town square that is slowly being restored, a courthouse that is being considered for restoration to its 1929 pre-fire look. Here's a picture of the courthouse on fire December 31, 1929. It was not totally destroyed, but was remodeld twice since this time to what we have today.

Fannin County has what the Metroplex needs. Open, green space to enjoy the outdoors the way Texas is supposed to be. Not to be put under 6" of concrete and we want to keep it that way. Fannin County is just 38 miles NE of McKinney and about 80 miles NE of Dallas, on the Red River.

We have more natural resources set aside for enjoyment than any other county in the north Texas area:

• Bonham State Park (I live right next to it)
• Lake Fannin Wilderness area
• Fort Inglish
• Caddo National grasslands
  
• Proposed Lower Bois d'Arc Reservoir, over 16000 surface acres in the NE part of the County
  
• Proposed Lake Ralph Hall Reservoir in the SE part of the county, just north of Ladonia.
• And my all time favorite: the Bugtussle General Store.
  

This is all that remains, but I love the name.

Fannin County is reinventing itself into the Green destination of the Metroplex.

• Green energy development.
• Preservation of our open spaces for future generations
• Camping, hunting, nature sightseeing
• History
• Events and attractions
• Proposed Pioneer Living Skills and Green Energy School
• Regionally recognized winery
• Proposed Guest lodge and road house from an historic 1850's roadhouse next to the State park.

We have all the makings for the new future destination of the Metroplex. Instead of becoming another bedroom community (like all the suburbs of DFW that are now struggling for identity), we have the opportunity to create a sustainable destination that becomes more valuable and precious as time goes by.

We need to develop infrastructure, unique places to stay, promote our unique offerings, interests and experiences. And that is where we need visionary people who know how to avoid "If only . . . "

Don't let the opportunities of Fannin County become your next "If only". Now is the time to act. Now is the time to invest. When the market is recognized to have completely turned around, the best opportunites will be "if only".

Being a builder of near zero-energy homes, a broker, an investor in green energy and development projects, contact me for information on all these opportunites.

Here's some related posts to Fannin County and what's going on:

What Do You Think of this Idea for Featuring Properties?

Jesse James, Conquistadors, Carpet Baggers and Boot Leggers: The Lost Treasures of Fannin County, Texas

Looking for One Special Commercial Investor for an Historic Property

What is it that Fannin County has, that DFW really needs and that gets more scarce by the day?

OK all you duck hunters, check this out!

23rd Autumn in Bonham Bike Rally and State Championship BBQ Cookoff

Pioneer Living Skills and Green Energy School

I've been looking at ways to get attention on our county as a destination for outdoor activities as well as feature several properties that are for sale in the county.

I'm putting together a little wild-hog roundup tournement that will take place on several of the properties that are listed for sale. All with the owners' permission, of course.

This is just an idea, but I've got several businesses that will sponsor this and several outfitters/guides that will also participate.

So, how's this for out-of-the-box marketing?

If you think you'd like to come up for this, drop me an email. I'm trying to get an idea of a head-count before we kick the event off. If I don't have enough takers, we'll have to cancel for that weekend.

I had just posted a blog entry about the really cool things about Fannin County and it becoming the "green" destination for the DFW area. In it, I referenced lost treasures.

I thought I would elaborate on that a bit.

I'm a 5th generation Fannin County resident, but I skipped a generation. My mom's mother (my grandmother) was born here in 1906 in the little town of Ivanhoe. In doing research, I found her grandmother's name on an 1850 census for Fannin County. My grandmother left the county after she married in 1925. Nobody from the family came back until I bought land here in 1997. And that was just by coincidence. My great aunt's were thrilled that someone from the family was finally going "home".

Anyway, that sparked a great deal of interest in my family history in Fannin County and I've been talking to people and collecting stories and histories about the county.

In my discussions/discoveries, I've come across several stories related to lost treasures.

Here's a brief synopsis of what I've heard:

The lost Spanish treasure: Supposedly, back in the 1500-1600's, there was a Spanish explorer (I never did get a name) that came through this part of Texas, with two wagon's full of gold. For some undisclosed reason, they had to abandon the wagons here in what is modern day Fannin County. They supposedly buried the wagons with the intent of returning and recovering the gold. They never did.

Bob Lee's gold: A confederate leader, Bob Lee had gold in a black cauldron or wash-pot. In 1866 Texas, carpet-baggers were all over the place and after Bob's gold. He buried it somewhere near the town of Leonard in SW Fannin County. It hasn't been found yet. Here's a couple of links to the story from the local TV station:

Part 1, Part 2 Unfortunately, they've taken the video down, but the text of the story is still there to read.

Jesse James Bank robbery loot: Jesse James was in the Confederate Army and had been briefly posted to the command that was headquartered in Fannin County. He was familiar with the area and when the war was over, went on his (in)famous bank robbing spree. Allegedly, after one of his "jobs", he came to Fannin County with his loot and camped out for a while. When he left, he and his gang didn't take their loot with them. It is supposedly still buried somehere near Bonham. As a sidenote, I have personally seen one of the hide-outs he reported used here in the county. It is still standing (barely).

The Bootlegger's buried ill-gotten gains: This is a bit more recent in history, but still makes for a fascinating story. Seems that back during Prohibition, there was a black gentleman by the name of Henry that lived SE of town out in the woods on a creek. He cooked 'shine and it was well known at the time that if you needed certain "refreshment", you knew exactly who to go see. Seems this gentleman did quite well for himself, but didn't live exactly high on the hog. He saved his money and buried it in mason jars somewhere near his shack. Well, Prohibition was repealed and things went back to "normal". He never did seem to spend that money. Time passes and in the early '70s, a couple of young guys go drunk and decided to make Henry tell them where his money was buried. They went out to his shack, "talked" to him, but he wouldn't tell them where the money was. So they shot him and burned the house down. There was a trial and they were convicted. I have met people who knew Henry and said he was a very nice old genetleman who loved kids. I have been to the old shack site, seen the remains of the house and barns next to the creek. The site has since been bull-dozed and cleaned up. But that money has yet to be found.

These stories are so much fun, true or not, and even more so since I've been able to see some of the locations regarding them.

So next time you're in North Texas and looking for something different, come to Fannin County. History, mystery and green, open spaces to enjoy Texas the way it was meant to be.

The answer? Read on.

Here are some interesting facts and statistics on Fannin County:

Of the two tiers of counties that surround Dallas and Tarrant counties, it is the most north-east. I fondly refer to the greater D/FW area as the Metromess.

Fannin County, Texas is on the Red River, is one of the oldest counties in Texas and in the beginning of Texas, ran along the Red River from Bowie county all the way to the Panhandle and for what is today two counties deep. It was broken up into 26 counties over time.

With a little over 31000 people, 12,800+ homes and 891 square miles of land, we have what the Metromess wants: Green, open recreational land. Not to be put under 6" of concrete, but to be preserved, conserved, enjoyed and handed down. As more of the other counties speed toward "development", Fannin County is taking the road less traveled and fast becoming the "green" outdoor playground for the Metromess.

A place to come and enjoy the outdoors Texas style. Bring your kids, cameras, fishing

poles, guns, dogs, tents and toys. Come stay for a weekend and play. Discover the history, the nature, the wonders of Texas. We have all kinds of interesting things to offer. We have archeology, hunt for dinasaur bones. You can find Caddo Indian artifacts if you look carefully. We have pioneer-era log structures still standing, and less than 80 miles from Dallas!

We have mystery, lost treasures, Jesse James purported hideout and the gold he never took out of Fannin county, bush-wacking, confederate encampments and Yankee sympathizers.

So if you're looking for that get away that's not caught up in the "Metromess" mentality, not caught up in the high prices for land and is still less than an hour away, this is the place.

For more information you can check out the Chamber of Commerce website at

http://www.bonhamchamber.com/index.htm

If you want to buy land, build a near-zero energy home or come spend the weekend in the outdoors, contact me. I am a builder, a broker and know everywhere you can go to rent cabins, B&B's or go camping.