Royston Town House Magnolia Tree

This magnolia was planted around 1845, after John Brooks finished construction of the Royston Town House for Grandison Royston. It is not on the National Historic Register but it is associated with Grandison Royston in the same way as the magnolia at the Royston Law Office site, as Royston is said to have planted both.

General Grandison Royston was one of the city fathers of Washington. General Royston was a general in the Mexican War, cousin of President Zachary Taylor, a plantation owner, a prominent lawyer, served as a delegate to the First Arkansas Constitutional Convention in 1836, and served as president of the Arkansas Constitutional Convention in 1874. He was a member of the Confederate House of Representatives during the Civil War.

John Brooks built this residence (off of Water Street) in the 1840s for the Royston family. General Grandison Royston planted this Southern Magnolia tree in front of his new house. This magnolia is quite large in its own right and is at the front driveway entrance to the house (the drive circles around it).

Spears, Leita. Photo Essay: Branches in Time, Historic Washington State Park. July 7th 2020. Accessed April 15th 2022. https://www.arkansasstateparks.com/articles/photo-essay-branches-time.