{"nrhp_refnum":"73001965","name":"Old Pierce House","other_names":["John Pierce House"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"303 N. Columbus St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Marshall","county":"Harrison County","state":"TX","lat":32.54696390700008,"lon":-94.36478692399999,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1973-04-13","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A late Greek Revival raised cottage at 303 North Columbus Street in Marshall, Harrison County, Texas, a nearly square frame house on brick piers built in the 1850s. Design and construction are attributed to local builder Colonel W. R. D. Ward.","why_significant":"The nomination calls it an outstanding example of mid-19th-century residential architecture and among the best preserved East Texas Greek Revival raised cottages. It also notes an unusual entrance without sidelights or transom and a truncated hipped roof. A careful restoration in the late 1960s left the principal rooms unaltered.","narrative":"Magnolia Hall, also known as the Pierce House, is a Greek Revival raised cottage at 303 North Columbus Street in Marshall, Texas. Deed records indicate it was built in the 1850s, and its design is attributed to local builder Colonel W. R. D. Ward. The nearly square frame house sits on brick piers, so it is about a half story above ground at the front and two full stories at the rear. A small columned porch shelters the double entrance doors, which lack sidelights and a transom, an unusual choice for East Texas. The roof is truncated and hipped. Inside, four main rooms open off front and rear central halls, each with a fireplace. John H. Lee bought the property in 1865, and his descendants held it for over a century. After standing empty for 26 years, it was bought in 1966 and restored over about two years, with modern improvements confined to secondary lower-level spaces. It is valued as a well preserved example of East Texas Greek Revival design.","period_of_significance":"19th Century","architect_builder":"Colonel W. R. D. Ward (attributed), local builder","architectural_style":"Late Greek Revival raised cottage","criteria":[],"status_note":"Described as in excellent condition and unaltered, in use as a private residence. It stood unoccupied for 26 years before being restored over about two years.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:19.048422-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/91/9724/40972491/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_TX/73001965.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/73001965/358eabe817-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/73001965/358eabe817-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"Renelibrary","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:OldPierceHouse_(1_of_1).jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Renelibrary</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 4.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:OldPierceHouse_(1_of_1).jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/40972491","wikipedia":null,"wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q110001007"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/texas/harrison-county/old-pierce-house-73001965/"}