The McFaddin-Ward House

Historic House Museum in Beaumont, Texas

Sister, don't give up the land. They are not making land anymore.
W.P.H. McFaddin

Eggnog Evening and Christmas Light Ride

Come for a unique chance to see the museum at night at our eggnog evening!

Start at the visitor center for tasty treats and eggnog then stroll over to the house for a self-guided tour.

The event is free and open to the public. Call 832-1906 for details. See you there!

Cyclists: Bring your bikes and join a casual group to ride around town to view Christmas lights, ending at the McFaddin-Ward House Museum for eggnog and a tour.

**LIGHTS and HELMETS are required and Christmas lights on your bike are encouraged. The streets are open to normal traffic flow, so please ride with caution and obey all traffic laws (ride at your own risk).

More details will be posted on the bike ride at
https://www.facebook.com/events/707555349269965/

santa-biking

Holiday Photo Opportunity

You are invited to our free family photo day, Sunday, November 10, 2013 from noon to 3 p.m.!

Have your photo taken in the museum! One day only!

This is your once-a-year chance to dress up and have your family picture taken for holiday cards on the museum’s grand staircase! Bring your own camera, and our museum staff photographer will take the photo for you.

All visitors must register in the visitor center at 1906 Calder Ave. the day of the event.

Note: No professional photography or spiked heels.

Call (409) 832-2134 for more details. The event is free and open to everyone! See you there!

Conservation Savvy: From Expert to DIY

Join us for our upcoming conference to learn the basics of conservation, from doing it yourself to hiring the best in the business.

Conservation Savvy: From Expert to DIY

November 7—9, 2013

We all have treasured objects in our possession–whether they are personal belongings passed down from loved ones, or priceless museum artifacts. Proper care for these items present many challenges, ranging from a lack of resources to a lack of expertise.

Join us at the McFaddin-Ward House 2013 Conference where we will present a panel of experts to address common conservation conundrums to help you ensure that your belongings and artifacts are conserved for the next generation to enjoy.

ABOUT THE CONFERENCE 

Conservation Savvy: From Expert to DIY has been designed to teach proper techniques for collections care through presentations, site visits, and panel discussions. The event will be held in Beaumont, Texas from November 7-9, 2013.

TOPICS INCLUDE
  • Disaster Prevention
  • Object-Specific How-Tos
  • Conservation Prioritization and Techniques
  • Question and Answer Sessions

2013 PRESENTERS

  • Dr. Karen Pope, Baylor University, Waco, TX
  • Gary Smith, Dallas Heritage Village, Dallas, TX
  • Barbara Applebaum, Applebaum & Himmelstein, New York, NY
  • Stephen Koob, Corning Museum of Glass, Corning, NY
  • Steven Pine, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, TX
  • Cheryl Carrabba, Carrabba Conservation, Austin, TX
  • Dreanna Belden, University of North Texas, Denton, TX
  • Anne Zanikos, Zanikos Art Conservation, San Antonio, TX
  • Winnie Trippet, Battleship Texas, La Porte, TX
  • Pipp Gillette, Camp Street Cafe, Crockett, TX

 

 

REGISTRATION INFORMATION

Registration is now open. Please register by November 1, 2013.   

To register, submit your information at the link below. The registration fee includes access to all conference programming and panel discussions, workshops, site visit and all meals, which include:

  • Thursday evening dinner
  • Continental breakfast on Friday and Saturday
  • Coffee/tea breaks
  • Friday luncheon and dinner
  • Saturday boxed lunch

Register with a credit card online at the links below, or by check by clicking here.

Regular Registration

$100
(A $3.49 fee will be added to all online registrations.)

Students
$50
(Proof of enrollment in a qualifying institution required and a $2.24 fee will be added to all online registrations.)

HOTEL INFORMATION 

The conference takes place at the MCM Elegante Hotel in Beaumont, Texas. The venue is featuring a special $89 rate. Contact the hotel for reservations at (409) 842-3600.

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KEYNOTE SPEAKER, DR. KAREN POPE

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Keynote speaker, Dr. Karen Pope

We are pleased to announce Dr. Karen Pope as keynote for Conservation Savvy: From Expert to DIY. Dr. Pope will give insight into the fascinating and important field of conservation with an emphasis on conservation’s value to art history and viability as a career choice.

With a PhD in Art History (University of Texas 1981), Dr. Pope is a popular lecturer in and around Austin on diverse topics.  With expertise especially in the art of Europe and America in the 19th and 20th centuries, she makes art history accessible and enjoyable for audiences of all levels.

Dr. Pope is a full-time member of the Baylor University Art Department faculty, where she teaches art history courses in 19th-century European and American art, the priority of Baylor’s Allbritton Art Institute.

 

 

So don’t miss Conservation Savvy: From Expert to DIY! Be sure to save the dates, November 7 – 9, 2013 for solutions to your conservation challenges-no matter your budget size!

McFaddin-Ward House Featured on Road Trippin’

The McFaddin-Ward House Museum was recently featured on “Road Trippin’,” a show produced by local television station, KFDM Channel 6.

Hosted by Brian Glenn, the segment focused on the museum’s tours and events. The museum is open for tours Tuesday through Saturday and offers a free first-floor tour on Sundays. For more information and to schedule a tour, contact the museum’s reservation desk at (409) 832-2134.

View the video here and click on “The Spotlight” under the “Thursday’s Road Trippin'” icon.

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Feeding the Soul: The Victory Garden gets a Facelift, New Focus

By Carol Cuccio

The glory of gardening: hands in the dirt, head in the sun, heart with nature. To nurture a garden is to feed not just the body, but the soul.
~Alfred Austin

The museum’s Victory Garden has been undergoing an overhaul during the last few months, and we are very excited about what will be “cropping up” as spring approaches. From expanding the garden beds to installing new features, the project is shaping up into something bigger and better.

Many of you may remember the Victory Garden during its humble beginnings back in the spring of 2009. We installed four “lasagna”-style raised beds, a gardening technique where a framework is built and compostable materials are layered, much like the ingredients in an actual, edible lasagna. In this specialized gardening method, layers are placed directly on top of sod, soil or, in some cases, cement; the idea is not to dig down into the earth, but to build up, creating a nutrient-dense environment that will grow produce organically, making it ideal for those without gardening tools or for the elderly.

Our original beds were made by layering newspaper on top of the grassy area in front of the curatorial office building, in the very spot where Ida McFaddin kept chickens and a milk cow. We knew the soil would be fertile there, and we loved the idea of returning the ground to its traditional agricultural roots.

We used a frame of landscaping timbers and layered materials like peat, hummus, garden soil, and compost to make our 10” deep raised beds. Since we began the program, we have facilitated many children’s garden activities, used the area as an educational teaching resource during events like our Preservation Celebration, and grown everything from herbs to towering “mammoth” sunflowers.

Going into our fourth year with our Victory Garden, we decided it was time to give the beds a facelift and rethink our focus. Tying in with this year’s theme, Tried and True: Traditions of a Southeast Texas Family, and gearing up for next year’s theme, which will center on food ways, our garden programming will have a culinary focus. We plan to teach not only how to grow your own but also how to cook your own, and involve family in meal planning and preparation as well.

The new garden will include pathways throughout, an updated compost generation system, an arbor, a park bench, and a birdbath. With our organic practices already in place, we have seen a vast improvement in the biodiversity found in this small patch of earth; and we look forward to seeing what those improvements will bring this spring. To get involved with our victory garden project, contact Carol Cuccio at (409) 832-1906 or ccuccio@mcfaddin-ward.org.

Read the full March 2013 issue of Viewpoints.