Kingsville: Manning Hall

Manning Hall was the first educational building on the campus of the South Texas State Teachers College in 1925.  It was not the first building.  The first building was the president’s home.  Manning Hall is now tucked away behind beautiful oak trees and nestled among the many other buildings that testify to the growth of our university over the years.  In some of the early pictures of Manning Hall, you will see these lovely oak trees as tiny saplings.

The setting of corner stones for important buildings was a highlight of life in our town’s history.  The South Texas State Teachers College was a long awaited and long fought for victory that involved the whole community.  Dr. Cousins, the first president of the South Texas State Teachers College, issued the first contract for bidding on the building’s construction in September of 1924.  In December, the newspaper reported that construction was ahead of schedule.

A corner stone setting ceremony, with a “Monster Bar-B-Que” provided by King Ranch, was planned for January 3rd of 1925.  Kingsville’s changeable South Texas weather had something to say about that.  The event was postponed until March due to the terribly cold and wet weather in January.  The March 25th celebration is preserved in pictures with one very dramatic image of the entire town gathered around the nearly completed building.  Manning Hall still had the scaffolding up but a United States flag was proudly hung from the wall for the celebration.

In 1925, Manning Hall was the entire South Texas State Teachers College.  Today Manning Hall is only one of many buildings on the Texas A&M campus.  Take a walk across campus and enjoy the architecture of Manning Hall and the many other buildings, old and new.  Stop at the Connor Museum, right across the street from Manning Hall, and talk some history with the museum staff.