Last updated: 2/5/2021
1906 Calder Avenue
Beaumont, TX 77701
725 Third Street
Beaumont, TX 77701
$3.00 per person
reservations recommended
for tour information : 409-832-1906
|
Tony Chauveaux
phone:
|
|
Becky Fertitta
phone:
|
|
Felix McFarland
phone:
|
|
Arlene Christiansen
phone:
|
|
Judy Linsley
phone:
|
|
Carol Cuccio
phone:
|
The McFaddin-Ward House is a historic house museum centered in a 12,800 square foot 1906 Beaux-Arts Colonial house. The museum, which opened in 1986, also has the 1907 Carriage House, with its garage, stables, servants quarters, and gymnasium; a visitor center; a curatorial/storage facility; and administrative offices located in a 1903 cottage. The museum is almost wholly supported by funds from the Mamie McFaddin Ward Heritage Foundation.
This museum has a wealth of 20th-century collections and historical knowledge. Although the museum s collections pertain solely to the house, the McFaddin family, and the collections that came with the house when it became a museum, they are large in number. Concentrated in the first half of the 20th century, the collections are a very complete time capsule of one family s possessions during this period. Space to exhibit the collections is limited, however, and that is one of the reasons why the museum initiated a cooperative exhibition with Beaumont s Art Museum of Southeast Texas. This exhibition placed a decorative arts exhibit from the McFaddin-Ward House s reserve collections in one of the Art Museum s galleries in 1994-1995.
A large number of research materials, including family letters, diaries, scrapbooks, and photographs are in the collections, providing rich documentation to complement the artifact collections. The museum has added to this base of historical knowledge with an active oral history program and other research of Beaumont s history during the first half of the 20th century. The museum uses this extensive historical material to put together a broad range of educational programs, several of which are done cooperatively with other local museums and historical organizations.
Regarding affiliation with the Resource Sharing Project, the McFaddin-Ward House does not have changing exhibit space, so would not be interested in borrowing other collections or exhibits at this time. The museum does engage in a number of collaborative projects, and would be interested in collaborating on exhibit projects, education programs, and publishing.
The museum was set up by provisions of the will of Mamie McFaddin (Mrs. Carroll)
Ward. Before her death in 1982, she established the Mamie McFaddin Ward Heritage Foundation responsible for providing funding and administration for her former home to be used as an educational and cultural resource. Following instructions in her will, a six-person board of directors selected by Mrs. Ward assumed responsibility for the house in October 1982, shortly after her death. One of their first actions was to hire a professional director who, in turn, assembled a staff of museum professionals, security guards, housekeepers, and groundskeepers to begin the process of turning what had been a private home into a public museum.
The next four years were spent researching and performing restoration work on the house, setting up curatorial and administrative policies and procedures, inventorying and cataloguing the collections, and building a visitor center. The house opened to the public in March 1986.
A new director was hired shortly thereafter, and the museum began to expand its functions to include a full range of educational programs; annual scholarly conference, publications, and extended research on the house, family, collections, and the community, including an oral history program. In 1987, a 10,800 square foot building was constructed to house the museum's reserve collection and to provide curatorial office and work space. In 1988, the museum began exterior restoration work on the carriage house and stables, which at that time housed the museum's
administrative offices. Late in 1989, the museum purchased and renovated an adjacent (to the carriage house) 1903 frame cottage to use as an administrative office space, and in 1991-92 the museum completed restoration of the carriage house and opened it to the public.
Although the collections number approximately 34,000 non-manuscript items, it is
essentially made up of the household furnishings and belongings of two generations of the
McFaddin and Ward families. Its value is in its relative completeness in documenting the lifestyle and changing tastes of these families from approximately 1894-1982. Approximate collections size by category: rugs, 131; glass, 2,500; ceramics, 3,500; silver, 1,200; furniture, 800; textiles, 10,000; paintings, 60; photographs, 150; books, 1,900; miscellaneous, 14,359.
Personal diaries, scrapbooks, photographs, business and personal correspondence, and legal and other documents pertaining to the family and related interest. Established guidelines for research access.
Exhibitions, workshops, docent program, guided and self-guided tours, lectures, historical conferences, and programs for school children. seventh grade history program, eleventh grade literature program, third grade etiquette and social customs program, Afternoon Pastimes, summer programs, family days, Christmas program and lecture series. Some of these are specific to the McFaddin-Ward House or the McFaddin family.
Quarterly newsletter, Viewpoints; annual report; catalogue published in 1994, Back in Style: Selections from the McFaddin-Ward Collection. Publications about the permanent collection are The McFaddin-Ward House: Lifestyles and Legacy in Oilboom Beaumont, Texas, Texas State Historical Association (1992) - a general history. Perfectly Splendid: One Family's Repasts, McFaddin-Ward House (1992) - a collection of historical recipes and anecdotes drawn from the museum's archives. American Home Life, 1880-1930: A History of Spaces and Services, University of Tennessee Press (1994) - based on papers delivered at a McFaddin-Ward House conference.
This information, including business hours, addresses and contact information is
provided for general reference purposes only. No representation is made or warranty is given as
to its content or the reliability thereof. User assumes all risk of use. Stories USA, Inc.
and its content suppliers assume no responsibility for any loss or delay resulting from such
use. Please call ahead to verify the dates, the location and directions.