Inside Look at Decades of White House Entertaining
Beaumont, TX; Oct. 24, 2023 – White House historian and author Jennifer B. Pickens will share inside stories from more than 60 years of entertaining traditions at the iconic address – 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue – during her free public lecture, “Entertaining at the White House with Time Honored Holiday Traditions,” presented by the McFaddin-Ward House on Thursday, Nov. 2, at 6:30 p.m. in the museum’s Visitor Center Lecture Hall (located at 1906 Calder Avenue, in Beaumont).
Pickens’ lecture will delve into decades of elegant events hosted at the Executive Mansion, from the pomp and pageantry of state dinners to popular American family celebrations to visits by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth.
“I am thrilled to speak at the McFaddin-Ward House this fall. It will be an honor to be at this home, so steeped in Texas history,” Pickens said. “I am looking forward to November 2 and to meeting the many supporters of this unique home and museum.”
As a White House historian and First Ladies expert, Pickens has conducted numerous interviews with members of America’s first families, White House social secretaries, chiefs of staff, presidential aides, White House insiders, and Executive Residence staff. Her third and latest book in her White House series, “Entertaining at the White House: Decades of Presidential Traditions,” covers 60 years of White House entertaining customs, offering “an insider’s invitation into the White House’s greatest events and intimate insight into the planning, innovation and generosity that went into occasions created by first families.”
Pickens has offered her insight on a host of national television and radio programs and served on the Texas Historical Records Advisory Board, Friends of the Southern Methodist University Libraries Board, and other civic boards.
The Nov. 2nd McFaddin-Ward House Lecture is free and open to the public, but space is limited. Doors open at 6 p.m.
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.