Daniel Memorial Orphanage

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about the Daniel Memorial Orphanage, out here in Freestone County. Now settle in, because this one's got some heart to it. Jennings Bryan Daniel was born in 1896 and spent his whole life in Freestone County, building a reputation as a prominent businessman.

But the thing he built that matters most for this story wasn't a business at all. It was a home. Along with his family, Daniel set out to create a facility east of Fairfield, a place where homeless and underprivileged children could have their physical and spiritual needs met.

And he didn't think small about it. The land he planned it on stretched across 1,140 acres, with scenic hills, valleys, and meadows, bisected by two running creeks. That right there is not a modest patch of dirt.

That is a world. In September of 1947, the State of Texas granted a charter for the Daniel Memorial Orphanage. Now Daniel was a practical man, and he knew that a good facility needed buildings.

So he purchased former barracks from nearby Camp Fannin to serve as dormitories and dining and administrative space. And then, and here's where the story gets a little cinematic, an army chapel all the way over in Oklahoma was acquired and reassembled right there at the site. The home didn't officially open until November 1948, but the Daniel family, being who they were, had already begun accepting a few children into their own home in anticipation of the orphanage's completion.

They weren't waiting on paperwork to start doing right. The home flourished. By its second anniversary in 1950, there were 65 residents living on those rolling Freestone County acres.

J.B. Daniel had two mandatory policies he required. The children attended church regularly.

And there was a non-adoption policy, put in place specifically to prevent the separation of siblings. Now that second one tells you something about the man's thinking. He understood that what these children already had, each other, was worth protecting.

Life at the orphanage was no idle affair. The children tended livestock, mowed the grounds, helped in the kitchen. But there was plenty of time left over for swimming, baseball, and summer camps.

They attended the Fairfield schools. They had, in other words, a childhood. The Daniel family continued administering the home until 1968, when J.B.

Daniel resigned his board presidency due to failing health. He had been born in 1896 and would live until 1977, but this chapter closed in 1968. Two years later, in 1970, the entire facility was deeded to the Assemblies of God.

And it continues in operation to this day as the Pleasant Hill Children's Home. Those two creeks are still running. The hills are still there.

And children are still finding their way to that 1,140-acre place east of Fairfield, because one man and his family decided they ought to.

What the marker says

DANIEL MEMORIAL ORPHANAGE PROMINENT BUSINESSMAN AND LIFELONG FREESTONE COUNTY RESIDENT JENNINGS BRYAN DANIEL (1896-1977), ALONG WITH HIS FAMILY, CREATED A FACILITY EAST OF FAIRFIELD FOR HOMELESS AND UNDERPRIVILEGED CHILDREN, WHERE BOTH THEIR PHYSICAL AND SPIRITUAL NEEDS COULD BE MET. DANIEL PLANNED THE FACILITY ON A 1,140-ACRE TRACT WHICH CONTAINED SCENIC HILLS, VALLEYS AND MEADOWS AND WAS BISECTED BY TWO RUNNING CREEKS. A CHARTER WAS GRANTED BY THE STATE OF TEXAS FOR DANIEL MEMORIAL ORPHANAGE IN SEPTEMBER 1947. DANIEL PURCHASED FORMER BARRACKS FROM NEARBY CAMP FANNIN TO SERVE AS DORMITORIES AND DINING AND ADMINISTRATIVE SPACE, AND AN ARMY CHAPEL IN OKLAHOMA WAS LATER ACQUIRED AND REASSEMBLED AT THE SITE. ALTHOUGH THE HOME DID NOT OFFICIALLY OPEN UNTIL NOVEMBER 1948, THE DANIEL FAMILY GENEROUSLY ACCEPTED A FEW CHILDREN INTO THEIR HOME IN ANTICIPATION OF THE ORPHANAGE'S COMPLETION. THE HOME FLOURISHED, AND BY ITS SECOND ANNIVERSARY IN 1950, THERE WERE 65 RESIDENTS. TWO MANDATORY POLICIES REQUIRED BY J.B. DANIEL INCLUDED REGULAR CHURCH ATTENDANCE BY THE CHILDREN, AND A NON-ADOPTION POLICY TO PREVENT THE SEPARATION OF SIBLINGS. ALTHOUGH THE CHILDREN WERE RESPONSIBLE FOR CHORES SUCH AS TENDING LIVESTOCK, MOWING THE GROUNDS, AND HELPING IN THE KITCHEN, THEY HAD PLENTY OF TIME FOR ACTIVITIES LIKE SWIMMING, BASEBALL AND SUMMER CAMPS; THE CHILDREN ALSO ATTENDED THE FAIRFIELD SCHOOLS. THE DANIEL FAMILY CONTINUED ADMINISTRATION OF THE HOME UNTIL 1968, WHEN J.B. DANIEL RESIGNED HIS BOARD PRESIDENCY DUE TO FAILING HEALTH. THE ENTIRE FACILITY WAS DEEDED TO THE ASSEMBLIES OF GOD IN 1970, AND CONTINUES IN OPERATION TODAY AS THE PLEASANT HILL CHILDREN'S HOME. (2010)