Cora Frances Jackman, born in 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 her husband's death, she 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.