The McFaddin-Ward House

Apron Strings: Ties to the Past
2021-09-23 - 2022-01-01 | McFaddin-Ward Carriage House, 1906 North Street, Beaumont, TX, 77701, United States
The McFaddin-Ward House is proud to present the exhibit Apron Strings: Ties to the Past, featuring aprons dating from the late 1930s to the present.

This exhibit, on view from September 23, 2021 to January, 7, 2022 in the Carriage House, chronicles changing attitudes towards gender norms associated with domestic work and explores how this seemingly simple garment is connected to identify formation.

Visitors to this exhibit can expect a place to share their own apron memories and learning activities for all members of the family.

The exhibition is toured by ExhibitsUSA, a national program of Mid-America Arts Alliance.

A free exhibit opening and lecture will be held Thursday, September 23 at 6:30 p.m. in the Visitor Center Lecture Hall featuring Kathleen Brown, a vintage apron scholar and curator/founder of Apron Celebrations in North Richland Hills, Texas.

For more information, visit mcfaddin-ward.org or call (409) 832-1906.

Museum Closed: Dec. 31st - Jan. 2nd
2020-12-31 | TX
Museum will be closed December 31st – January 2nd for the holidays.

Museum Closed: Dec. 24th-26th
2020-12-24 - 2020-12-26 | TX
Museum will be closed December 24th-26th for the holidays.

Holiday Photo Shoot at MWH
2020-12-06 12:00 - 15:00 (America/Chicago) | McFaddin-Ward House, 1906 McFaddin Avenue, Beaumont, TX, 77701, United States
Join us for the McFaddin-Ward House Annual Photo Shoot on Sunday, December 6th to have your holiday photo taken on the front porch of the museum.
Photo reservation appointments will be available from noon – 3 p.m. A limited number of appointments are available so make your reservations early!
A professional photographer will take three photos of you and your loved ones. Your photos will be emailed to you on Monday, Dec. 7th.
To reserve your spot, call 409.832.1906.
We will strictly follow COVID-19 protection guidelines.
*In the event of inclement weather, the holiday photo shoot will be cancelled.*

Our House is Your House: Key Hunt
2020-11-09 08:00 - 2020-11-13 16:00 | TX
Embrace your inner Sherlock Holmes & come find some keys to great prizes!
The MWH will host a community-wide scavenger hunt, Our House is Your House: Key Hunt, November 9-13 with prizes given to the winners.
10 brass skeleton keys will be hidden throughout community locations in Beaumont. Clues will be posted on social media on Monday, November 9. Each of the 10 key finders will receive an approximately $50 value prize when the discovered key is presented at the MWH and he/she will be entered into the grand prize drawing for an approximately $550 value prize.
For more info, visit here or call (409) 832-1906.

Upcoming Lectures
2020-08-01 - 2020-12-31 | TX
Due to COVID-19 concerns, the museum’s Fall 2020 lectures have been postponed.

Free Lecture: Crap Taxidermy POSTPONED
2020-05-14 18:30 - 19:30 | McFaddin-Ward House Visitor Center, 1906 Calder, Beaumont, TX, 77701, United States
This lecture has been postponed until Fall 2020. Date TBD.
Crap Taxidermy
A humorous look at what happens when taxidermy goes terribly wrong.
We’ll let the pictures do the talking. Don’t miss this tongue-in-cheek yet informative lecture about the art of stuffing an animal.

Free Lecture: Royal Art of Poison - POSTPONED
2020-04-09 18:30 - 19:30 | McFaddin-Ward House Visitor Center, 1906 Calder, Beaumont, TX, 77701, United States
The Royal Art of Poison
This lecture has been postponed UNTIL June 11th.
Novelist Eleanor Herman joins our lecture series to give us historical scoop on by-gone royalty. Her book, The Royal Art of Poison: Filthy Palaces, Fatal Cosmetics, Deadly Medicine, and Murder Most Foul gives glittering, juicy accounts of what went on in some of Europe’s most glamorous palaces. With her unique access to royal archives, she combines cutting-edge forensics to tell the true stories. Medical mysteries, poisonous cosmetics, ever-present excrement, festering natural illness, and, sometimes, murder. Don’t miss it!

Mahj at the Museum - TO BE DETERMINED
2020-04-06 14:00 - 17:00 | McFaddin-Ward House Visitor Center, 1906 Calder, Beaumont, TX, 77701, United States
Mahj at the Museum
Due to the uncertainty of the coronavirus situation, the Mahj game in April may be postponed. For now, we are taking it day by day. Please stay tuned…
Let the Games Begin…

Our docents love Mah Jongg and you will too! You are invited to join them the first Monday of every month for rousing games of Mah Jongg. Everyone’s invited to play. Bring your Mah Jongg cards, Mah Jongg sets, and table coverings. We’ll provide card tables, chairs, and snacks. Space is limited so you must call ahead. Contact Sandy at 832-1906/ srostrom@mcfaddin-ward.org.
Reserve your spot today!

Free Lecture: Story of the Buffalo Soldier
2020-03-12 18:30 - 19:30 | TX
The Story of the Buffalo Soldiers
The Buffalo Soldier National Museum in Houston, Texas is dedicated to telling the incredible – and often difficult – story of African-Americans in the US Armed Forces. Amidst the backdrop of racism and oppression in the United States, these soldiers fought bravely alongside whites for Texas Independence, the Civil War, the Great War, WWII, and beyond.
Come hear their stories and more at this month’s lecture.
For more information about the Buffalo Solider National Museum: http://buffalosoldiermuseum.com/

Free Lecture: Difficult Truths at Monticello
2020-02-13 18:30 - 19:30 | TX
One Mountain, Many Stories: Difficult Truths at Monticello
The McFaddin-Ward House is proud to present One Mountain, Many Stories: Difficult Truths at Monticello. This lecture features Monticello Museum’s own Niya Bates who was instrumental in getting the story of Sally Hemings written into its chapters. Bates is the director of African American History at Monticello and director of the African American Oral History Project known as Getting Word. Ms. Bates will discuss the challenges she and others faced in getting difficult truths incorporated into the museum where America’s Thomas Jefferson once lived.
For more information about Getting Word go to https://www.monticello.org/getting-word.
Information about the Sally Hemings exhibit can be found at https://www.monticello.org/sallyhemings/

Free Lecture: Blown Away
2020-01-09 18:30 - 19:30 | TX
Netflix Blown Away Star comes to Museum

Get ready to be blown away. A contestant from a recent Netflix competitive reality series will be the next guest lecturer at the McFaddin-Ward House. Alexander Rosenberg is not your usual competitor, nor is Netflix’s latest show Blown Away. The show features the country’s best glass blowers, all vying for the top spot. Rosenberg is described as a “minimalist” artist whose talent in blowing glass is both natural and educated. He earned a Master of Science in Visual Study from MIT. Rosenberg was a show favorite, and though he did not place first, the experience amplified his artistic worth. Alexander Rosenberg mostly enjoys being an educator, so this lecture promises to be a special treat. Join us as he takes you into his special world of design and mouth blown glass. Don’t miss it!

Eggnog Open House
2019-12-12 17:00 - 19:00 | TX
Eggnog Open House December 12
Our house is open to the public from 5:00 to 7:00 for an evening of magical splendor. View our gorgeous historic mansion like you’ve never seen in before, in the evening decorated for Christmas. Please bring the children! We’ll have cookies, eggnog and special holiday entertainment.

Your Photo, Our House
2019-12-01 13:00 - 15:30 | McFaddin-Ward House Visitor Center, 1906 Calder, Beaumont, TX, 77701, United States
Christmas Photo Opportunity Offered December 1, 2019
Make plans to have your holiday photo snapped on the grand staircase at the McFaddin-Ward House! Here’s how:

Anytime between 1:00 – 3:30 p.m., check in at the Visitor Center at 1906 Calder Ave.
After your number is called, please wait near the front of the house and be completely ready for your photo.
Guests are allowed two photos only
Please do not use any cosmetics, hairspray, etc. in the house or on the porch.
Our staff photographer will take the your picture using your camera. Please have your camera ready when your number is called.
After your photo, feel free to tour the grounds and visit the Carriage House

Fall Picnic and Lawn Movie
2019-10-17 17:30 - 21:00 | McFaddin-Ward House, 1906 McFaddin Avenue, Beaumont, TX, 77701, United States
Fall Picnic 2019 Making Up for Lost Time
The McFaddin-Ward House is ironing out details for it’s first community picnic in more than a year. “This year’s Fall Picnic promises to be bigger and better than ever,” says McFaddin-Ward House Director, Allen Lea. “We had to cancel events on the lawn last year because renovations on our front porch were under construction. The rains came in Spring this year, and unfortunately we had to call it off once again.”
The Curse and the Cure is musical entertainment for the evening followed by the 2019 version of the movie “Aladdin.” The 4H Club will host a food fundraiser. We will have a variety of activities for children, including face painting and sidewalk chalk!
Bring your entire family and some friends. Bring picnic supplies, food, ice chests, and cold beverages. It’s the best way to pass a great time. See you there!

Free Lecture: The Garlic Papers
2019-10-10 18:30 - 2019-10-11 19:30 | McFaddin-Ward House Visitor Center, 1906 Calder, Beaumont, TX, 77701, United States
The Garlic Papers: A Small Garlic Farm in the Age of Global Vampires
What happens when a small garlic farm in New Mexico goes against corporate giants in the Chinese garlic industry? Author Stanley Crawford has written a true David versus Goliath story as he chronicles his battles with the U.S. Department of Commerce and lawyers representing the largest importer of Chinese garlic. The unusual case even caught the attention of Netflix which aired a documentary called “Garlic Breath.” Meet the author and hear his amazing story at our upcoming lecture.
Stanley Crawford is an American writer and farmer. His novels include Travel Notes (1967), The Log of the S.S. The Mrs Unguentine (1972), Some Instructions (1978), and Petroleum Man(2005). His nonfiction works include A Garlic Testament (1992), a biography of life on his farm in Dixon, New Mexico. Mayordomo: Chronicle of an Acequia in Northern New Mexico (1988) was the winner of the 1988 Western States Book Award for Creative Non-fiction.
As always, our lectures are free and open to the public. Please plan to come early; sometimes we run our of seating. Doors open at 6:00 p.m. Mr. Crawford’s lecture starts at 6:30.

Free Lecture: Scent and Subversion
2019-08-08 18:30 - 19:30 | TX
Scent and Subversion: Decoding a Century of Provocative Perfume
Take a whiff on the wild side of 20th century perfume! From the colorful world of provocative scents comes the remarkable history of vintage perfumes. How were they marketed? What role did they play in our culture? Famed perfume authority and author Barbara Herman will be here to decode some myths and unravel the secrets. She even has her own perfume line at http://www.erisparfums.com/shop-books/scent-subversion-decoding-a-century-of-provocative-perfume.
Please join us!

Free Day Lecture: All Dolled Up
2019-08-05 10:00 - 11:00 | McFaddin-Ward House Visitor Center, 1906 Calder, Beaumont, TX, 77701, United States
Mamie’s Paper Dolls

You’ve been asking. We deliver.

A FREE LECTURE DURING THE DAY! And this is one you don’t want to miss, especially if you have that special little someone at home this summer who loves to play dolls.

Not only do paper dolls show popular fashion, they transport us to simpler times of entertainment. Join us for a presentation and tour that will compare social trends to the fashions represented in paper dolls of the 1900’s. Through items from the McFaddin-Ward House collection, you can take a trip back to childhood memories while discovering popular fashion trends of the early 1900’s.

Presented by Emily Fischer

Summer Intern

Muskingum University

2019 Summer Camp for Kids
2019-07-23 10:00 - 2019-07-25 14:00 | McFaddin-Ward House Visitor Center, 1906 Calder, Beaumont, TX, 77701, United States
“A Day in the Life” Summer Camp
Summer Camp is set for July 23 – 25, 2019.
Click here for more information!
http://mcfaddin-ward.org/category/news/

Free Lecture: Sell, Keep, or Toss?
2019-06-13 18:30 - 19:30 | McFaddin-Ward House Visitor Center, 1906 Calder, Beaumont, TX, 77701, United States
Sell, Keep, or Toss?: How to Downsize a Home, Settle an Estate, and Appraise Personal Property
What do you do with a house full of stuff? Should you keep it, toss it, or sell it? This month’s lecture brings you answers from the man who knows! Collectibles expert and professional appraiser Harry Rinker helps to simplify the complicated personal, familial, and financial decisions. In his lecture, he’ll be giving valuable advice such as:
• Passing treasured mementos to future generations
• How to recognize valuable collections
• Finding reputable appraisers and auctioneers
• Getting a tax benefit from donating unwanted items
• Maximizing the profit on items sold
Harry L. Rinker is a prolific antiques and collectibles editor. He has written several books including Dinnerware of the 20th Century, Stemware of the 20th Century, Silverware of the 20th Century, and The Official Price Guide to Flea Market Treasures. His opinions and commentary have been seen in BusinessWeek, Money, and U.S. News & World Report. Mr. Rinker has appeared on numerous television shows including The Oprah Winfrey Show, the Today show, Good Morning America, Inside Edition, and Martha Stewart Living. His “Rinker on Collectibles” column appears in leading trade and daily newspapers across the country.

American West: The (True) History of Cowboys
2019-05-09 18:30 - 19:30 | McFaddin-Ward House Visitor Center, 1906 Calder, Beaumont, TX, 77701, United States
The (True) History of Cowboys
We see them in movies and read about them in books, but who were the real cowboys of the American West? For answers, we bring you an expert. Proudly presenting Michael Grauer of the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City. Please join us for a compelling evening as we learn the true history of cowboys.
Michael Grauer is McCasland Chair of Cowboy Culture and Curator of Cowboy Collections and Western Art . He holds numerous academic degrees including the Master of Arts in art history from Southern Methodist University and the Master of Arts in history from West Texas A&M University. He has spent his career working for prestigious museums, namely the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the Meadows Museum at SMU, and the Dallas Museum of Art before becoming curator of art and Western heritage at the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum from 1987 to 2018. He joined the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City in September 2018.
Grauer has curated numerous exhibitions on historic Texas, New Mexico, and Southwestern art and history at Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum and as guest-curator for other institutions. He is the author of 50+ publications, including Rounded Up in Glory: Frank Reaugh, Texas Renaissance Man. His book on cowboy artist H. D. Bugbee is being published by Texas A&M University Press in 2019.
Michael Grauer is president of the Western Cattle Trail Association and a board member and on the executive committee for Westerners International.
I guess you could say Michael Grauer knows everything there is to know about cowboys. If the lifestyle of the American West has ever held your fancy, you won’t want to miss this lecture!

Summer Yoga Bash
2019-04-25 17:30 - 2019-05-02 18:30 | McFaddin-Ward House, 1906 McFaddin Avenue, Beaumont, TX, 77701, United States
Free Yoga on the Lawn
The McFaddin-Ward House wants you to keep calm and say “OM” this summer. What better way than to yoga on our lawn? We’re offering free classes starting May 2, 2019 and continuing on first Thursdays through August. All skill levels are welcome. Bring your mat, your water, and your friends for a good workout and a great time.

Free Community Event: Spring Picnic - Cancelled
2019-04-25 17:30 - 19:30 | TX
It’s Spring Picnic Time!
We will gather on the East Lawn of the McFaddin-Ward House for our annual community picnic. It’s a springtime tradition! Bring lawn chairs, kids, blankets, games, food, libations, cheese, ice chests, crackers, baskets, and anything else you need to have a picnic. No dogs, please, unless she’s a service animal. Live music by Luke Whitney. Food for sale by the 4-H Club. Face painting. Art tables. So much family fun!

Free Lecture: Chuck Wagon Bromance
2019-04-11 18:30 - 19:30 | TX
Role of the Chuck Wagon: A Cowboy’s Home

Few imagines bring stronger visions of the Old West than the American chuck wagon. Known as a cowboy’s home on wheels, these traveling kitchens are not only full of good food but also of great adventure. Come hear the history of the chuck wagon and how it is very much alive today, as we proudly present Ronnie Sexton, president of the American Chuck Wagon Association.

Free Lecture: The Tea Stylist Talk,
2019-03-14 18:30 - 19:30 | McFaddin-Ward House Visitor Center, 1906 Calder, Beaumont, TX, 77701, United States
The Tea Stylist Talks…

The McFaddin-Ward House is proud to present this month’s lecture by Linda Gaylard, author of The Tea Book. a handy guide that helps readers explore blends, tastings, and ceremonies from around the world. Linda is a Certified Tea Sommelier located in the city of Toronto, Canada. She graduated George Brown College where she studied an extensive program of courses, including sensory perception, tea and food pairing, tea regions, and tea history among other tea-focused subjects. She has certification by The Tea Association of Canada.
In 2012, Linda traveled to South Korea and China. She visited artisan tea growers in Gyeongsangnam-do and tea gardens in Jeollanam-do – both are provinces at the southern tip of South Korea. While visiting Fujian and Zhejiang provinces of China she met with growers, producers, retailers and artisans.
Ms. Gaylard also writes a hugely popular blog called The Tea Stylist, an ever-evolving weblog that provides readers – whether tea novices or enthusiasts – with knowledge of tea and its culture. You’ll also find engaging articles, reviews and photographs that illustrate tea’s influence on our world and highlight style’s intersection with tea, past and present.

Free Lecture: A Butler's Life
2019-02-14 18:30 - 20:00 | McFaddin-Ward House Visitor Center, 1906 Calder, Beaumont, TX, 77701, United States
A Butler’s Life,
Scene’s From the Other Side of the Silver Salver…

Ever wonder what it’s like to be a butler? The McFaddin family regularly employed butlers on their full-time staff. Our guest speaker this month is Christopher Allen, a former “Mr. Jeeves” and his wife Kimberly Burton Allen who penned a memoir about her husband’s life working in villas on the Cote dAzur and in California, on luxury yachts in England and estates in the Hamptons. Part tell-all and how-to, the lecture will give us not only a glimpse of real-life duties behind the silver tray, but tips on better hosting and home management.
Join us on Valentine’s Day for a fascinating peek into the world of personal service in luxury. A champagne and chocolate reception will follow. Doors open at 6:00 and seating is limited. Sorry, but saving seats will not be allowed.

Free Lecture: Bed, Breakfast and Beyond
2019-01-10 18:30 - 19:30 | McFaddin-Ward House Visitor Center, 1906 Calder, Beaumont, TX, 77701, United States
Bed, Breakfast and Beyond,
Memoirs of a Horse Wrangler and Other Great Rides…

This month’s guest speaker runs an interesting Bed and Breakfast called Fairwinds Farm and Stables in North East, MD…among many other things. She writes books, acts in famous movies and handles horses too. JoAnn Dawson is an animal wrangler for television and film, and has held principle acting roles in The Sixth Sense, 12 Monkeys, and Oprah Winfrey’s Beloved, among several. She is the author of the award-winning Lucky Foot Stable series for ages 8 – 12. Now she’s written a memoir chronicling the highs and lows of operating a farm-based Bed and Breakfast.
Ms. Dawson headlines our 2019 McFaddin-Ward House 2019 Lecture Series with enthusiasm and gusto. Please join us in welcoming her. Doors open at 6:00.

Free Lecture - DNA Kits: Who's Been Climbing Your Tree?
2018-09-13 18:30 - 19:30 | McFaddin-Ward House Visitor Center, 1906 Calder, Beaumont, TX, 77701, United States
DNA: the New Way to Meet Your Relatives
A hundred years ago when Ida Caldwell McFaddin researched her family’s genealogy, she may have become frustrated. The methods were not easy at that time; she no doubt painstakingly poured through hundreds, if not thousands of family documents and government records to trace her family ties.
How wonderful that times have changed! We have the internet AND over-the-counter DNA kits to help. Millions of people are racing to buy commercial DNA kits these days which is opening the door for millions to learn about family history, anscestry, and medical information.
Join us this month as we welcome the founder of the world’s first commercial DNA kit, Family Tree DNA. Bennett Greenspan will speak about the new popularity of DNA science and how it’s helping people around the globs to discover their roots.
Come early. We expect a crowd and there is no saving seats. Doors open at 6:00.

Free Lecture: The Art of Quilts
2018-08-09 18:30 | TX
The National Quilt Museum
The McFaddin-Ward House proudly brings quilts to center stage in this month’s offering of our lecture series. The director of the National Quilt Museum in Paducah, KY will be our guest speaker. The Nation Quilt Musuem works to advance the art of today’s quilters by bringing it to new and expanding audiences worldwide.
Our lectures are free and open to the public. They are also quite popular. Since seating is limited, we strongly suggest coming early. Doors open at 6:00 p.m.
Please call 832-1906 for information.

Free Lectures: Two Fine Topics, Two Great Interns
2018-08-06 10:00 - 11:00 | McFaddin-Ward House Visitor Center, 1906 Calder, Beaumont, TX, 77701, United States
McFaddin-Ward House Gets Two Summer Interns
The McFaddin-Ward House has been fortunate to hire two interns this summer instead of the customary one. We are proud our museum attracts a high caliber of students who want to start their careers in a reputable place. This year we saw a plethora of qualified applicants, and when the time came to hire one, our decision became clear: this year we would need to hire TWO!
In addition to observing McFaddin-Ward House staff in its day-to-day operations, our interns are required to focus their time and attention on one subject of their choosing and develop a presentation at the end of their stay. Intern Ashley Thornton has chosen rugs and John Brundrett is focusing on Digital Learning to interpret our history. They will present their findings at the Visitor Center on August 6 at 10:00 a.m. Please come and support these fine people.

Around the World in 80 Rugs
Join us at the McFaddin-Ward House Visitor Center as we present a selection of rugs from the museum’s reserve collection. Hand-woven in Persia, these early twentieth-century rugs aimed to please the Western market by creating rich colors and skillful designs. Following the presentation, we will take an up-close look at rugs in the museum, as we explore the techniques and functions of rugs in societies across the globe.
Presented by Ashley Thornton, Texas A&M University

Digital Learning and a Step into the Past
Cecelia Smith
The McFaddin family and the domestic employees who worked for them are important parts of the McFaddin-Ward House story. The museum is constantly enhancing this interpretation. Come and see our newest interactive interpretation of the family and then join us as we take a step back in time to Cecelia Smith’s apartment as it looked in 1984.
Presented by John Brundrett, Graduate Student , University of Houston
