Cora Jackman Donalson House
Kyle, Hays County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Cora Frances Jackman (b. 1853) was the daughter of Sidney Drake and Martha (Slavin) Jackman. Her father, a Confederate general during the Civil War and later a state representative and U.S. Marshal, settled his family in Hays County in 1865. Cora married Chauncey B. Donalson, owner of the 738-acre Live Oak Springs Ranch. After the death of her husband, Cora had Wallace Bros. Lumber Company of Kyle build this house in 1913 from a Radford Architectural Company plan book. The two-story residence features Queen Anne and classical revival detailing in its cross gables, ionic columns, bay windows and entry with transom and side lights. No significant changes have been made to the house since the 1930s.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Cora Frances Jackman, born in 1853, was the daughter of Confederate general and later U.S. Marshal Sidney Drake Jackman, who settled his family in Hays County in 1865. She married Chauncey Donalson of the sprawling Live Oak Springs Ranch, and after his death commissioned this house in 1913 from a mail-order architectural plan book. The two-story residence blends Queen Anne and Classical Revival details—cross gables, Ionic columns, bay windows—and has changed little since the 1930s.
Why it matters
The home reflects both the reach of catalog architecture into rural early-20th-century Texas and the story of a widow who directed the building of her own substantial residence.
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Related people
- · Cora Frances Jackman Donalson
- · Sidney Drake Jackman
Themes & tags
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