Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Magnolia Manor Is Donated To HSU By Ross Foundation

Henderson State University has announced that the Ross Foundation has donated Magnolia Manor to the university. The gift was officially accepted at the HSU Board of Trustees meeting on Thursday, August 26.

The Magnolia Manor home, one of Arkansas' most beautiful antebellum homes, sits on 12 acres of land at the western boundary of Arkadelphia on Highways 26 and 51. It had been owned by Jane Ross from 1978 until it was turned over to the Ross Foundation in 1984, where ownership has remained until this day.

"We are very pleased to accept this donation from the Ross Foundation," said HSU president Dr. Charles D. Dunn. "Along with the Barkman House and the Captain Charles C. Henderson House, this will give us three of the most historically significant buildings in Arkadelphia.

"I think the Ross Foundation liked what we had done in restoring the Barkman House, and with how the Henderson House restoration is coming," he said. "This will be a good match between HSU and Magnolia Manor."

There are no definite plans for what kind of renovations are to be made to the house. Some suggestions offered have been a location for executive or board retreats for Henderson State, a future president's home, or a Henderson State Museum.

"I'm certainly open to ideas to come up with the best way to use the facility for our faculty and students," said Dunn.

The original owner of Magnolia Manor was John Baker McDaniel, who traveled to Arkadelphia with his family in 1850. By 1853, he was homesteading 240 acres of timber land. In 1854 he bought an additional piece of land, where he had planned to build a new home.

Construction of Magnolia Manor was started in 1854 and was completed in 1857. Since then, it has undergone numerous renovations, the first coming in 1932 by Senator and Mrs. Fletcher McElhannon. There have also been major repairs since 1978 by Jane Ross and the Ross Foundation.