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Register Your Child for Our 2015 Summer Camp!

June 8, 2015

Our kids’ summer camp is back for another year! Scheduled for July 28th-30th, this year’s theme, “Growing Up McFaddin” centers around the McFaddin children –Mamie, Perry, and Caldwell– as they grew up in the home they called for many years.

Join us as we learn all about the childhoods of the three McFaddin children, and how they lived their day-to-day lives as residents of one of the most recognizable homes in town.

The details:
–Campers must be between the ages of 8 and 12.
–Camp is Tuesday, July 28th, Wednesday, July 29th, and Thursday, July 30th, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. each day.
–Campers must bring their own lunch Tuesday and Wednesday. Lunch is provided Thursday.
–Registration fees are $20 per camper (cash or check only).
–Registration is limited to 24 campers. This camp is popular and fills up fast!

If you would like to register your child, you can register in person at our offices, located at 725 N. Third Street in Beaumont.
Or you can download both the permission slip and the registration form (click here and here ) and return the forms either in person or by mail, at 725 N. Third Street, Beaumont, TX 77701. Please include payment with your registration forms. Registration will NOT be completed without payment.

If you have any questions, please call (409) 832-1906 or email mpowers@mcfaddin-ward.org.

Summer Camp Registration Begins Monday, June 8th

June 1, 2015

Registration for our summer camp begins Monday, June 8th. Please note that any registrations received before June 8th will not be accepted.

Our summer camp for kids is back for another year! Scheduled for July 28th-30th, this year’s theme, “Growing Up McFaddin” centers around the McFaddin children –Mamie, Perry, and Caldwell– as they grew up in the home they called for many years.

Join us as we learn all about the childhoods of the three McFaddin children, and how they lived their day-to-day lives as residents of one of the most recognizable homes in town.

The forms for registration will be available to download on our website on June 8th, or you can pick them up at our offices starting the first day of registration (located at 725 N. Third Street in Beaumont). Registration forms can be sent by mail, or dropped off in person. Online registration is not available. Cash or check only please.

Please note: Registration DOES NOT BEGIN until Monday, June 8th.
Any registrations received before June 8th will not be accepted.

For questions or more information, please call (409) 832-1906 or email mpowers@mcfaddin-ward.org.

McFaddin-Ward House names new President of the Board

May 26, 2015

At its May 2015 meeting of the board of directors, the McFaddin-Ward House board members named a new president. With a unanimous vote, Leslie Wilson was named the new president of the board for the McFaddin-Ward House Museum.

Leslie Wilson is a very active volunteer throughout the community, and recognizes the value of service above self. She has served on the museum’s board of directors for many years, and has completed the docent training course. She has a personal connection to the museum as well. Her husband, Bill Wilson, is the son of President Emeritus, Rosine McFaddin Wilson, the niece of the museum’s founder, Mamie McFaddin Ward.

Outgoing president, Rosine Wilson, has been the president of the board of directors of the McFaddin-Ward House since its inception shortly after Mamie McFaddin Ward’s death in 1982. She spearheaded efforts to turn the home into a museum, and encouraged her aunt in preserving her home for the people of Beaumont.

A fifth-generation Beaumont resident, Rosine Wilson has a long interest in historical preservation and history. A founding member of the Beaumont Heritage Society, she was instrumental in the Society’s first project, the restoration of the John Jay French Historic House Museum. She also served as a former Vice Chairman of the Texas Historical Commission. Continuing the legacy of cultural leadership and generosity established by her aunt, Rosine Wilson helped establish the Mamie McFaddin Ward Heritage Foundation to maintain the house as both a cultural and educational resource in Beaumont. Educational and charitable organizations across southeast Texas also benefit from the foundation’s annual grants.

Today, the McFaddin-Ward House, a registered Texas landmark listed on the National Register of Historic Places, offers daily tours as well as a range of educational programming, cultural events for the community, and scholarly conferences.

For over thirty years, Rosine Wilson has been actively involved with making the museum the standout it is today, and has been nationally acclaimed for her accomplishments. She knows there is more to be done, however, and recognizes the importance of involving younger generations to insure sustainability. After serving as president of the board for the entire history of the McFaddin-Ward House, Rosine Wilson has decided to pass the baton to her daughter-in-law, Leslie Wilson. Rosine Wilson will continue her service to the museum as President Emeritus of the board.

Free Movie Nights 2015 Announced

April 6, 2015

Announcing our lineup for this year’s Free Movie Nights:
Starting in June, we’ll be showing some classic Hollywood films!
Each movie night is free and open to the public. There are no reservations, and seats are first come, first served.
Doors for each movie night open at 6 p.m., and the movie begins at 6:30.
Popcorn and drinks are included!
Here are the six classic films we’ll be showing this year:

June 11th — Seven Brides for Seven Brothers
July 9th — Charade
August 13th — His Girl Friday
September 10th — Rebel Without A Cause
October 8th — Teenagers From Outer Space
December 10th — It’s A Wonderful Life

Diverse and dynamic lineup of guest lectures for 2015

January 7, 2015

Here at the museum, we work hard to bring you lectures that are both fascinating and educational. Last year, we had talks over the business of wine in Napa Valley, duck hunting, the early days of Beaumont, art forgeries, and the gardens at Monticello.

This year, our 2015 Lecture Series is also shaping up to be yet another exciting year.

On January 29th, we welcome forensic sculptor Amanda Danning, who will kick off the series. Danning has gained international recognition as a forensic sculptor, having been commissioned by the Smithsonian Institution for reconstructions of Jamestown settlers, Buffalo Soldiers, ancient Paleo-Americans, and many others. Dr. Douglas Owsley of the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of Natural History says, “It is rare to find someone whose work can help interpret and bring to life the past for so many people.” Danning’s work is on display at the NMNH and more than thirty U.S. museums. She’ll be giving her talk “Making Heads and Telling Tales” on January 29^th.

On March 19^th, the man with the best job in Texas will be here; Daniel Vaughn is the Barbecue Editor for Texas Monthly, and he’ll share the history of barbecue in the Lone Star State.

Roger Wood, a retired college professor and author of three acclaimed books on zydeco music, will be here on May 7^th. “Lone Star Lala: Texas and Zydeco Music” is his fascinating talk, and he’ll share the unique role of southeast Texas in the shaping of this beloved genre of music.

And on October 22^nd, a name familiar to many of you will round out our list of lectures. Carey Maloney, an award-winning architect and designer, will talk about his approach to design and the culture of “stuff.”

It’s an eclectic list, to be sure, but one we think will interest a broad audience and further our goal of educating and enlightening southeast Texans. Join us next year for one–or all—of these lectures!

The Art of Demitasse — Past Visitor Center Exhibit

July 11, 2014

Since ancient times, coffee was said to have healing properties. After-dinner coffee was thought to assist digestion, enhance endurance, and act as an antidote for inebriation.

The Middle Eastern custom of drinking very hot, black coffee in small cups traveled to Europe along with the beverage, in the 17^th century. It was the French, in the 1800s, who originated the demitasse and turned after-dinner coffee drinking into an art. Demitasse means “half-cup.” The cups are, typically, half the size of a regular coffee cup, holding two to three ounces of beverage. The smaller size facilitates the drinking of strong, after-dinner, specialty coffees, such as espresso, cappuccino and Turkish coffee. Tea may be served in demitasse cups, but they are really meant for coffee.

Certain rules of etiquette are followed for after-dinner demitasse serving and drinking. The coffee is strong and always served black. Cream is not offered and should not be requested. Sugar, however, is permissible. Demitasse cups are always used. These are placed on a matching saucer and accompanied by a demitasse spoon. Only one cup of coffee is served, and it is not polite to ask for a second.

The coffee can be served to guests several ways. Cups can be brought in, unfilled, by a butler. A second butler brings the coffeepot. Each guest is offered a cup, which is then filled. The coffee can also be poured in the kitchen or butler’s pantry and served to guests on a tray by a butler. A less formal way of serving is to have the butler place the coffee and cups on a tray. This is then placed on a coffee table in front of the hostess. She pours the coffee, and the butler takes each cup to a guest. On occasion, a liqueur can be offered with the coffee or after the coffee has been taken.

By the 20^th century, any woman who entertained, formally or informally, would have owned demitasse sets and served after-dinner coffee. Ida Caldwell McFaddin and Mamie McFaddin Ward owned numerous demitasse sets and spoons. The sets in our collection contain from four to twenty-four cups and saucers each. There are a few individual cups, suggesting a special find on a shopping trip or perhaps a souvenir purchased on a vacation, or a gift given by a friend. Although the sets are in very good condition, they do show the wear expected from frequent use.

The exhibit, currently on view at the McFaddin-Ward visitor center, features twenty demitasse cups, sixteen matching saucers and eleven spoons. The variety of patterns and styles would certainly have assured Ida and Mamie of having just the right demitasse for any occasion.

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Upcoming events at the museum

June 4, 2014

We’ve got several events coming up throughout the summer here at the McFaddin-Ward House.

First up is the kick-off of our summer movie nights. Next Thursday, June 12th, we’ll be featuring the movie musical classic Guys & Dolls! Starring Marlon Brando, Frank Sinatra, Vivian Blaine, and Jean Simmons, this 1955 film tells the story of mobsters in 1930s New York City. Featuring classic songs like “Luck Be A Lady” and “A Woman in Love,” it’s one of the most enduring and popular musicals of all time.

On July 10^th, we’ll show Desk Set (1957), the eighth movie featuring classic Hollywood pair Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn. Hepburn plays the head of the research department at a TV network, while Tracy portrays the man who’s introducing computers into their workplace. It’s a plot straight from the 50s, with laughs that still translate today.

As always, both of these movie nights are free and open to the public. Each film begins at 6:30 pm at the Visitors Center, located at 1906 Calder Avenue in Beaumont. Doors open at 6 o’clock. Drinks and popcorn will also be available, absolutely free of charge.

Also this summer, we’ll be starting up our Junior Interpreter Training. If you’re 13 years or older and would like to give tours of the museum, sign up! It starts June 16th and runs every Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday through the end of the month. Call 832-2134 for more information.

And our always popular summer camp is quickly filling up! This year, the theme revolves around food: Three Square Meals & Then Some! Enter the fascinating world of food with the McFaddin-Ward House! Food involves much more than meals, flavor, or nutrition—think of edible flowers, food customs around the world, and food-related songs (and even dances)! Campers will connect food customs of yesterday and today through lively hands-on activities; they’ll try their hand at easy-to-make recipes, learn how food has made history over the centuries, make their own cookbook, decorate with food, and end the three days of fun and education with a lunch and dance! It’s open to kids ages 8-12, and costs $20 per child. It’s July 29th-31st, 10 am-2 pm daily. Only 24 spots are available!

And finally, we’re continuing our 2014 Lecture Series with R.K. Sawyer.

Texas has long been home to a storied hunting culture, with limitless numbers of animals filling the bayous, lakes, fields, and skies of the Lone Star State.

The colorful history of hunting in Texas has deep roots right here in southeast Texas, and R.K. Sawyer has spent years researching it all.

Join us on Thursday, August 14th, as Sawyer presents his lecture “A Hundred Years of Texas Waterfowl Hunting.” He’ll talk about the hunting clubs, decoys, practices, equipment, and prolific hunters of decades past, and the unique ties it all has to the McFaddin family in particular.

As always, this lecture is free and open to the public. It begins at 6:30 pm, with doors opening at 6 o’clock.

Call (409) 832-1906 for more information on any of these events.

Come see us at the McFaddin-Ward House this summer!

Summer Camp at the McFaddin-Ward House

May 27, 2014

Looking for a fun and unique way to entertain your kids this summer? Sign up for the museum’s summer camp, July 29th-31st!

Enter the fascinating world of food with the McFaddin-Ward House! Food involves much more than meals, flavor, or nutrition—think of edible flowers, food customs around the world, and food-related songs (and even dances)! Campers connect food customs of yesterday and today through lively hands-on activities. They try easy-to-make recipes, learn how food has made history over the centuries, make their own cookbook, decorate with food, and end the three days of fun and education with a dinner-dance!

The camp is open to kids ages 8-12, and will cost $20 per child. It’ll take place every day from 10 am to 2 pm on July 29th, 30th, and 31st.

Space is limited, so be sure and register today! Call (409) 832-1906!

Photographer includes McFaddin-Ward House on 16-year journey

March 6, 2014

Carol Highsmith is on a journey, one that she says will last for most of the rest of her life.

The DC-based photographer is taking 16 years to visit every single state in the country (all fifty of them) to take more than 100,000 images of life across the United States of America in the early part of the 21st century.

It’s all a part of the This Is America project, which when finished, will donate around 2000 images per state to a permanent collection in the Library of Congress. Each and every picture will be available for use, without any fees or copyrights attached.

And the McFaddin-Ward House will be a part of that collection. On Monday, March 3rd, Highsmith stopped by the museum to take pictures. She spent most of the afternoon setting up and taking down, photographing the outside and inside of the house.

Those photos will be available on the Library of Congress’s website in about three to four months. Highsmith also wrote about the experience here in Southeast Texas on the blog chronicling the project.

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Looking for a summer internship?

February 20, 2014

The McFaddin-Ward House, an AAM accredited historic house museum in Beaumont, Texas, is offering a paid summer internship in its collections and education department. Built 1905-1906, the Beaux-Arts Colonial mansion was the home of Mamie McFaddin Ward, who left the house as a historic house museum in 1982. The museum, which opened in 1986, ranges over three city blocks and includes the main house, a carriage house, a visitor center, an administrative office, and a collections office building.

Position Summary: The intern will gain experience in all areas of a historic house museum and will spend hands-on time in collections, archives, education, and public relations.

Duties May Include:

Collections management: Organizing, cataloging and digitizing archives and photographs, research, data management, storage upgrades for museum collection, object photography, environmental monitoring, taking inventory.

Interpretation/ Education: Assist with Summer Camp and junior interpreter training. Investigate and develop onsite and outreach programming for other groups. Inventory and organize teaching collection.

Public Relations: Assist with marketing and promotion of museum activities, including press releases, social media, blogging, and media appearances.

Qualifications: Applicant must have a strong interest in digitizing and organizing photographs, archives, and museum collections, as well as in interpretation and education, and must be capable of precise and detail-oriented work. Knowledge of proper museum artifact handling and computer literacy are required. A bachelor’s degree or coursework, training, or equivalent experience in museums studies, museum education, history, art history or art education is preferred. Interns must provide their own housing and their own transportation.

Employment Period: Ten (10) weeks at 40 hours per week, with a $2,900 stipend (taxes will be withheld). Flexible work dates between May and September. Office staff is willing to assist with necessary paperwork for interns to obtain course credit.

Deadline for Submission: Friday, March 28, 2014

How to apply: Submit a cover letter and current resume, including the contact information of three references, by mail, email, or FAX to:

McFaddin-Ward House
725 Third Street
Beaumont, Texas 77701
P: (409) 832-1906
F: (409) 832-3483
Email: jlinsley@mcfaddin-ward.org

The McFaddins kept their Christmas traditions alive

December 23, 2013

By Judith Linsley

Read the full December issue of Viewpoints.

In her book, Emyl Jenkins’ Southern Christmas, the author gives two reasons for the rich Christmas traditions in the South. First, the earliest Southern settlers—mostly Anglican English, Irish, and German—came from European cultures that, unlike the New England Puritans, reveled in the “festivity and enjoyment” of the holiday. The second was the relatively mild weather, which allowed people to gather and celebrate. Ida and W.P.H. McFaddin were both products of Southern culture—that of Southeast Texas and of West Virginia—so Christmas at the McFaddin home in Beaumont was a rich blend of two Southern traditions.

Giving topped the list of family traditions. Christmas shopping began sometime in the late fall. Sometimes the two women shopped together, but Mamie usually worked alone, doing much of Ida’s at the same time. “Shopped, I think, all day,” she wrote in her diary in 1921.

The McFaddins were generous at Christmas; in 1914, Mamie wrote, “Papa bought me a seal skin coat.” She also received pearls. Future husband Carroll Ward, still a relatively new beau, gave her a watch and bracelet. In 1921, she got a diamond ring and a negligee “and lots of things.”

Ida McFaddin and Mamie Ward enjoyed exchanging beautiful gifts, whether personal items such as a nightgowns or elegant silver serving pieces. In 1947, in October, Mamie found “2 silver bowls for Mother’s Christmas present” at Cherry Jewelers in Beaumont. In 1941, Ida wrote Mamie from Huntington, “My Santa from you and Carroll was grand.” When declining health limited her shopping, Ida gave Mamie checks, always accompanied by a sweet, loving note.

Ida McFaddin always remembered her family in West Virginia: parents, Mary and J.L. Caldwell, and sister Ouida Watts, mailing or shipping their gifts to them. Many times they spend Christmas in Beaumont, however, a longstanding holiday tradition.

Christmas giving went far beyond family and close friends. The McFaddins remembered not only their employees—domestic, office and ranch—but people in the community who served and assisted them. Often Ida and Mamie sent checks or small gifts to Ouida’s domestic staff. This created an especially busy shopping season for Mamie, who was determined not to leave anyone out. In 1941, she wrote in her diary that she bought “candy for sales girls [at the White House, a Beaumont department store] & sweater for Tom Parker & gift for Albertine [chauffeur and his wife].” In 1947, Mamie “went to White House for more ribbon, tags etc. & wrapped rest of Christmas gifts – 44 in all.” Her shopping usually ended with one last trip to town on Christmas Eve, followed by delivery of gifts. No wonder her holiday diary entries frequently contain the word “exhausted.”

Charitable giving received special attention at Christmas. The Beaumont Day Nursery, later the Beaumont Children’s Home, was one of Ida and Mamie’s favorite charities, both women serving on the board for many years. In addition to monetary donations, Mamie often chose, bought, and wrapped Christmas gifts for the girls who lived there. In 1940, she and her friend Clytie Allen decorated the Christmas tree at the Home.

A festive house was a must. After she married and took on more household operations, Mamie saw to it that the house was elegantly decorated each year. As a member of the Magnolia Garden Club, and a person who enjoyed beautiful gardens and flowers, she favored live décor—evergreens, pine cones, fruit, flowers—and arranged it herself, with assistance from Ida. Beaumonters attending parties at the McFaddin home over the years recalled beautiful poinsettias massed in the entry hall.

The live greenery may explain why Mamie didn’t decorate until just before Christmas. On December 22, 1941, she “decorated the house…put up sleigh Bells at door…pine burrs & greens & Leonard put lights on outside.” In 1942 she started even later, on Christmas Eve recording that she “fixed house. Ma put around cones, I fixed all the flowers, fruit & candy.” That year she decorated for a post-Christmas dinner with “candles, leaves & apples.”

No Christmas would have been complete without family dinners. Ida and Mamie hosted them each year, for the family in Beaumont, for visiting relatives and friends, or for the Wards, after Mamie and Carroll married. Usually they were held at the McFaddin home, but during World War II, with domestic employees scarce, Ida sought other venues. In 1944 Mamie recorded, “Carroll & I to Hotel Beaumont to New Year’s dinner Mother had for family—20 including children.”

Eggnog parties and open houses were especially popular traditions. One Beaumonter recalled of Christmas, “Socially it was a very entertaining time. There was actually a season….from Thanksgiving to Lent and women bought clothes all year for it. Teas, dances, dinner after dinner.” Several open houses became so entrenched that they occupied the same time slot each year: one was always at night; another was the last to be held.

New Year’s brought more fun. During Prohibition in the 1920s, the Crosby Hotel hosted a New Year’s Eve “cabaret.” People could unofficially bring in their own alcohol. In 1918, Mamie, brother Perry and fiancé Carroll Ward bought liquor from “Tolivar,” the local bootlegger, before they went.

The McFaddins usually hosted parties between Christmas and New Year’s. Some were grand social occasions; in 1940, the Beaumont Journal praised the “festive decorations” at an “elaborate affair” hosted by Ida, Mamie, and Carroll “in the large and exquisitely furnished old southern home.” In 1944 Ida and Mamie invited 150 friends for cocktails and hors-d’oeuvres. In her words, “all came early & stayed late & had a good time,” and she went to bed “tired but happy.”

Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol ends with this description of the reformed Ebenezer Scrooge: “and it was always said of him, that he knew how to keep Christmas well….” The McFaddins also knew how to keep Christmas well, and did so for many years.

“Deck the Halls: McFaddins and their Christmas Traditions” will be up through December 30 at the McFaddin-Ward House.

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Conferences and Lectures and Projects, Oh My!

December 23, 2013

By Allen Lea

Read the full December issue of Viewpoints.

Whew! Where has this year gone? For some, it was just another year to scratch through on the calendar, but for us here at the McFaddin-Ward House, well it was somewhat busy. In addition to the plethora of daily tours, projects and events that we provide annually, we had two memorable additions to the year. In April, we were thrilled to participate with the Texas Association of Museums as they held their annual conference here in Beaumont and, if we weren’t tired enough from the first conference, we hosted our own triennial conference in November. We had a lot of fun planning and executing both but I think it’s safe to say that we are “conferenced” out.

But it’s not all play. Hosting events and programs means hours of planning must be done by museum staff, all the while work must go on behind the scenes in order to keep the museum in pristine condition. Two of the bedrooms on the second floor of the museum received paint restorations in October and the front porch got a fresh coat of paint. Just in time for the Christmas season!

As 2014 comes into focus we are planning forward. Hosting educational lectures and activities for the public is part of our mission as a museum and it is also something we enjoy doing. The word ‘lecture’ can sometimes raise thoughts and feelings of having to sit through an hour-long snooze fest, but we would not bore you with any of those. Each year we host two or three lectures, but for 2014 we will be increasing our lecture series to quarterly lectures; two of which have been planned. On January 30th, Meredith Meuwly, Director of Appraisal Services at Heritage Auctions in Dallas, Texas, and appraiser for the Antiques Roadshow on PBS, will speak to us about fakes and forgeries in the art market. And on May 1st, Perry McFaddin-Clark from the Amizetta Estate Winery in Napa Valley will address us on different grape varieties and the art of wine making.

We hope you are as eager to attend the lectures as we are to host them. Remember, all of our lectures are free and open to the public. See you there!

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