David Keene
David Keene is a woodmaker who retired from a career as an electrical engineer. During retirement, he gave his sister-in-law a piece of Bois d’Arc wood and she had someone turn it to make a pen. He later lost that special pen at a meeting. He tried to find someone else to make him another Bois d’Arc pen but had no luck. So he decided to start making his own. Through trial and error and lots of practice, he developed into a fine woodworker, making beautiful pens out of Bois d’Arc.
Along the way, David also became an ambassador for Bois d’Arc, Bonham and Fannin County. He has made hundreds of pens over the years from this special wood that is native to Fannin County. He has given away many as special gifts to local elected officials and other honored folks. David was the one who dreamed of having an event to celebrate the Bois d’Arc tree and became the driving force behind the Vive le Bois D’Arc event held on May 3, 2025.
David’s beautiful pens made from Bois d’Arc are available for sale in the gift shop at the Creative Arts Center. Engraving is available for no extra charge. A few special, commemorative pens from the Vive le Bois d’ Arc event are also available, while supplies last.
“Vive le Bois d’Arc - Long Live Bois d’Arc”
On May 3, 2025, City of Bonham and Fannin County officials welcomed representatives from the Caddo Nation and French consulate to the Fannin County Courthouse for a special day of celebration dubbed Vive le Bois d’Arc or Long Live Bois d’Arc. David Keene presented pens he made of Bois d’Arc wood to all of the gathered dignataries. A Bois d’Arc tree was planted on the courthouse grounds.
Why the French & the Caddo?
The Bonham and Fannin County connection with bois d’arc wood began in the 1700s when the French explorers came across the Caddo Indians in Northeast Texas. The French soon realized that the local Indians had a flourishing business trading what the Caddo called “wood of the arc” or “bow wood” with other tribes from a wide area. The French translation of this impenetrable, highly sought after wood is Bois d’Arc. The Caddo were instrumental in teaching the French how to use wood from the bois d’arc tree. This gave way to settlements and stability in an otherwise unforgiving land.
The phrase ‘bois d’arc’ was passed down to the settlers who named their territory the Village of Bois d’Arc located on Bois d’Arc Creek. This would be the city’s name until it was renamed Bonham in 1840, after the fallen Alamo battle hero James Butler Bonham.
Over 180 years later, the name bois d’arc was requested to honor important local history and recognize the bois d’arc tree as a distinctive symbol with special significance for the region. The citizens and officials of Bonham and Fannin County fought to change the name of Texas’ newest reservoir, located in Fannin County, from The North Texas Municipal Lake to the Bois d’Arc Lake. The U.S. Department of the Interior officially recognized the name Bois d’Arc lake on February 21, 2022.