The sleeping porch was enclosed from a portion of the second-floor porch in 1912. The maple flooring a ceiling fan were added features. The porch was used seasonally, from June to September, providing a place for the family to escape the warm interior of the home. The family slept here together, not allowing for much privacy. The sleeping porch was a popular home addition in the early 20th century.

Ida wrote a letter to Mamie in 1911 while she was away at college, telling Mamie how excited she was to have a sitting room for the summer.

The beds are painted iron, ca. 1910 while the chair, also ca 1910 was carved in the Windsor style. The ceiling fan and light fixture was installed during construction.

The double return staircase is an important decorative and utilitarian feature of the home, contributing to a grand impression of the entrance hall in addition to providing access to the second floor. The Palladian art glass window is a unique feature that commands attention

W.P.H. McFaddin and Ida Caldwell met in 1893. Ida was visiting a classmate from her college days who lived in Beaumont. Ida was hoping to alleviate respiratory issues, so it was recommended by a physician to visit Texas. Apparently, this physician had never visited Southeast Texas as the climate is rather humid. Ida made the social rounds, eventually meeting W.P.H. and they fell in love.

W.P.H. wrote to her father, J.L. Caldwell, a prominent businessman in Huntington, West Virginia on June 20, 1894 asking for his daughter's hand in marriage, a social custom of the time. Caldwell's response was "I not only desire but fully rely on my daughter's ability to choose a husband for herself" I have no doubt of your devotion to her and hers to you. She is "willing to place her life to your keeping and being assured by both you and her of your devotions to each other I feel it my duty to submit to the choice of my darling child."

The McFaddins were married on December 4, 1894 at the Trinity Episcopal Church in Huntington, West Virginia. The wedding was described by the local paper as being "the most brilliant wedding of the season." The wedding announcement goes on to share that "the inside of the church was beautifully decorated with plants and flowers, and bunches of smilax were arranged here and there behind the altar and around it, leading to the scene a pretty effect."

A wedding supper followed the ceremony at the Caldwell home, the meal served by the Ladies Gild of the church.

The newly married McFaddins left on the C&O train at midnight to begin their honeymoon. their friends seeing them off. After an extended honeymoon in the eastern United States, they returned to Beaumont to start their lives.

About the Portraits:
The portraits are tinted photographs, captured in 1894 in Cincinnati, OH

While the chest itself, a Korean bandaji chest made around 1910 of teak wood and brass, is of fine craftsmanship, its contents make the object significant to the McFaddin and Ward families Around the time of her wedding to Carroll Ward, Mamie began collecting pieces for her marriage in her hope chest. A hope chest, typically gifted to a firstborn daughter in anticipation of her marriage, was used to house items of both essential and sentimental value to a woman's married life. Mamie's hope chest, first opened by museum staff in 2019, included linens stored in Christmas boxes with tags addressed to Mamie and Carroll, monogrammed playing cards and bridge scorecards with the names of friends and family written on them, and an unused baby bonnet and book. The chest and its contents represent Mamie's hopes for her marriage to Carroll and life moving forward. The couple never had children, the cause or decision unknown. However, the contents of the chest provide clues to the hopes and desires of a young married couple.

Object Details:

Mamie's hope chest, technically Korean bandaji chest, teakwood and brass, ca. 1900