Ladonia's Historic Architecture

Historic architecture is our most tangible link with the past, and Ladonia in southeastern Fannin County is rich in vintage structures. The farm community began to form in the early 1840s. The first merchant was Frank McCown, and the little town was known as McCownville for several years. But about 1857 La Donna Millsay passed through town on a wagon train from Tennessee, and she enthralled the population with her singing. Citizens began to call the town "La Donna," and when a U.S. Post Office was established in 1858 the misspelled name "Ladonia" was submitted.

 

Bird's Eye View of bustling Ladonia in 1891,
four years after the railroad arrived.

 

Located in a fertile farming area, Ladonia incorporated in 1885 with a population of 350, two cotton gins, a bank, a school, and several churches. Two years later, enticed by a bonus from Ladonia, the Gulf, Colorado, and Santa Fe Railway built tracks through town. Ladonia immediately boomed as a shipping point for cotton, corn, oats, and wheat. Within a decade the population soared to 2,000 with 100 businesses.

 

McFarland family members were among the original pioneers
of the community during the 1840s.

 

Victorian houses sprang up throughout Ladonia.

Ladonia's commercial district clustered around a large town square, and today a number of brick buildings still exist from the 1890s. A three-story city hall with a large upstairs auditorium dominated the square until it was razed in 1955. Victorian houses were erected around town, and many still stand, although some are in disrepair. Indeed, like many other agricultural communities Ladonia was hit hard by the Great Depression. The population declined steadily, and today the reported population is 612, barely one-fourth of the total of Ladonia in its prime.

Commercial buildings on the west side of the square
date from the late 1890s.

But this very decline meant that the existing commercial and residential structures - and churches - continued to be used, and today offer a visual treat for history buffs. In 1893, for example, the First Baptist Church built an impressive frame Victorian sanctuary with a massive steeple tower. But this edifice burned in 1911, and a brick replacement opened in 1912 and still is used by the congregation.

The First Baptist Church opened in 1912.

Presbyterians organized a congregation in 1850, and in 1910-12 a magnificent church was built for $6,400. The building featured 18 stained glass windows, and a pipe organ was installed for $2,587. Unfortunately, the shrinking congregation dissolved in 1976, but the building was converted to "Heritage Hall," and the organ went to the First Presbyterian Church of Mesquite. In 1992 a ferocious storm damaged many of the beautiful windows.

The First Presbyterian Church also opened in 1912.

During the same period that the Baptists and Presbyterians were erecting new brick edifices, the First Methodist Church built a large sanctuary for $10,000. This excellent church served the congregation for a century, but fell into disrepair in recent years. The Methodists, reduced in numbers, built a smaller, more modern building next-door to the still-impressive  structure from 1910.

The First Methodist Church was built for $10,000.

 

 

The First Christian Church organized in 1865 and built a superb brick sanctuary in 1906. Attendance on Sundays averaged 300, but this church was destroyed by fire early in 1917. The church rebuilt immediately, but in time, like the Presbyterians, the congregation disbanded, and the big church stands empty today.



The First Christian Church was built in 1917.

A number of downtown commercial buildings are still in use, and there is a modern school plant. But the history buff who enjoys studying antique structures will be rewarded by a visit to Ladonia.    

The three-story City Hotel was built in 1906.