Bonner Bank building makes big move across town

PHOTOS: QUINTEN BOYD AND GLORIA JENNINGS The Bonner Bank Building rolls past First United Methodist Church in Rusk to its new location, between the Heritage Center of Cherokee County and Prosperity Bank. Visitors to the Heritage Center of Cherokee County will now have a piece of the county's heritage just outside the front door.

The Bonner Bank building, a historical landmark that previously stood just off U.S. Highway 69 across from the Southern Motor Inn, was moved last Friday to the vacant lot between the Heritage Center and Prosperity Bank.

The building had been moved several times from its original location at 4th Street and Main, the current site of Austin Bank.

"We thought it would be better to have the building within a block of the original site," said Kevin Stingley, director of the Heritage Center.

The move was the idea of Patsy Dawson of Jacksonville, a direct descendent of the Bonner family. It did not come without some work, however, as the Heritage Center had to receive approval from the Texas Historical Commission in Austin.

l Workers knock out the foundation of the Bonner Bank Building before moving it last Friday morning. "You're technically not supposed to move a registered historic landmark or you lose the designation," Mr. Stingley said. "There is quite a bit of legislation involved.

"The commission deliberated for several weeks. Considering it had been moved several times before, the commission gave us permission to move it."

Funding for the move was secured by boardmember Stephanie Caveness and her husband, Louis.

"They handled the project, secured the funding and took care of the logistics," Mr. Stingley said. "It didn't cost a lot of money to move it. The museum has owned the building for more than 20 years."

Mr. Stingley said the next plan was to determine when the building was actually constructed.

"We'll have to do a lot of backtracking and research," he said. "We know it was there in the 1920s and 30s, but we hope to find when it was originally built."