Feb. 20 McFaddin-Ward House Lecture to Highlight Historical Firearms of American West
Beaumont, TX; Feb. 6, 2024 – Historical firearms expert Danny Michael will showcase the storied guns of the American Frontier during “History with A Bang: Firearms of the American West From The Well-Known To Where’d It Come From?,” a free public lecture presented by the McFaddin-Ward House on Thursday, Feb. 20, at 6:30 p.m. in the museum’s Visitor Center Lecture Hall (located at 1906 Calder Avenue in Beaumont).
Michael, curator of the Cody Firearms Museum at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West in Cody, Wyoming, will provide a closer look at the wide variety of firearms used in the American West—from the more recognizable frontier guns to the oddities used by outlaws, lawmen and everyone in between—and share how technological advances and firearm innovations influenced the American Frontier.
“It wasn’t all just six-shooters and Hollywood-style holsters,” Michael said. “The uniqueness of firearms in the American West comes from the variety of ways people used them. It’s not just Hollywood gunfights or preconceived notions. People in the West used guns for hunting, recreation and many other purposes, as well as the occasional shootout.”
In conjunction with the lecture, Michael will offer a free Firearms Identification Clinic for the community to be held at the McFaddin-Ward House Visitor Center on Thursday, Feb. 20, from 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. All guns brought for identification must be unloaded and secured in a case.
“Firearms are an important part of history and have played important roles in shaping the past and present,” Michael said. “Whether it’s guns or something else, the everyday items in a particular story meant something to the people that used them and are a very tangible and meaningful connection to the past.”
Michael has served as the Robert W. Woodruff curator of the Cody Firearms Museum since 2020. In addition to his curatorial and research work, he co-founded the “Arsenals of History” symposium, which brings together museums and firearms historians from around the world, and serves on the Editorial Board of “Armax: the Journal of Contemporary Arms.” Michael holds a master’s degree in public history from the University of Louisville and has appeared on the television series “Gun Stories” and “Guns & Ammo TV” as a historical firearms expert.
McFaddin-Ward House lectures are free and open to the public, but space is limited. Doors open at 6 p.m. For more information, call 409-832-2134.
For those unable to attend, the full lecture will be available for viewing on the museum’s YouTube Channel (youtube.com/@mcfaddinwardhouse) and website (mcfaddin-ward.org/about/videos) after the event.
Built in 1905-1906 in the distinctive Beaux-Arts Colonial style, the McFaddin-Ward House reflects the lifestyle of the prominent family which lived in the house for 75 years. The museum features free tours, educational programming, year-round events, a carriage house, and gardens.
For more information, call 409-832-2134 or visit mcfaddin-ward.org.
This program is supported by Humanities Texas, the state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this lecture do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.