McFaddin-Ward House Museum

09/04/2026

The Fall 2026 Issue of Viewpoints is here! 🎉

Click through our quarterly newsletter to learn more about all the excitement going on at the McFaddin-Ward House Museum.

You can also read the full newsletter on our website:
https://mcfaddin-ward.org/viewpoints-vol-42-no-4/

Want a hard copy of Viewpoints in your inbox or mailbox? Email your email address and/or mailing address to [email protected] to be added to our lists.

09/04/2026

🏛️ McFaddin-Ward House Museum 40th Anniversary | 40 Milestones & Memories in 40 Weeks

☑ Number 24: Museum Publications

In 1992, the Museum released two staff-produced books, “The McFaddin-Ward House: Life-style and Legacy in Oil Boom Beaumont, Texas” and “Perfectly Splendid: One Family’s Repasts,” making the rich history of the home and the McFaddin Family available to a wider audience and providing informative keepsakes for visitors.

“The McFaddin-Ward House,” co-authored by Jessica Foy (Museum curator at the time) and Judith Linsley (Museum research assistant both then and now), provides an overview history of the McFaddin family, their house, and the collections of the Museum. The volume, which is approximately 60 pages of robust, well-researched history, was published by the Texas State Historical Association as part of the Popular History Series.

Two years of research, testing, and tasting went into producing the McFaddin-Ward House Museum’s 128-page working cookbook, “Perfectly Splendid.” More than 150 recipes from the McFaddin kitchen were included, along with McFaddin family history, anecdotes, and photographs. Ida McFaddin Pyle, granddaughter of Ida and W.P.H. McFaddin, served as chair of the cookbook planning and testing committee, and Arlene Troutman (Christiansen), Museum administrative specialist at the time (currently assistant director), served as editor.

Both publications are still available for purchase in the Museum’s Gift Shop today.

09/03/2026

😍🏛️ This gorgeous Texas Oil Boom Era mansion was designed with plenty of space for a large family and overnight guests to sleep in comfort and privacy.

Completed in 1906, the McFaddin-Ward House was home to a family of five for many years. Today, visitors to the Museum see the home’s seven bedrooms fully furnished with original pieces that reflect the different occupants and uses for each room.

Which one is your favorite? Let us know in the comments.

Want a closer look? Schedule your admission-free tour at the link in our bio!

09/01/2026

Due to forecasted inclement weather, the McFaddin-Ward House Museum will be closing today, September 1, at 1 p.m. We will be monitoring the weather for Wednesday, September 2.

Stay safe, Southeast Texas!

08/31/2026

🎒🚗🏫 Back to school season is underway, and many parents are dropping their children off at school during the morning commute. This photo of W.P.H. McFaddin driving his sons, Caldwell and Perry Jr., to school in a horse-drawn buggy around 1907 (Museum Collection) gives a glimpse of what “carpooling” looked like in the early 1900s.

So much has changed in the last 120 years, but some traditions are timeless. 💚

How did you get to school as a child? Let us know if the comments! 👇

08/28/2026

Thank you to everyone who stopped by for our Teacher Appreciation Happy Hour yesterday, and, of course, thank you to teachers everywhere for the incredible work you do every single day! 💚💚💚

If you were unable to attend and would like more information about how we can collaborate as partners in education, contact McFaddin-Ward House Museum Education Manager D’Lana Barbay at [email protected] or visit mcfaddin-ward.org/education.

08/27/2026

🌟 Docent Spotlight: Candace LeMasters 🌟

This month, we're excited to shine the spotlight on Candace LeMasters, one of our dedicated docent tour guides at the McFaddin-Ward House Museum.

As an administrator with Beaumont ISD, Candace became involved with the Museum while volunteering during the annual field trips that BISD seventh graders take to the McFaddin-Ward House. She says she loved the experience so much that she signed up to become a docent and has been serving since September 2024.

Candance had actually been introduced to the McFaddin-Ward House years earlier. She explained, “My first ‘big girl’ job after college, having graduated with a history degree, was working as a historical researcher for the McFaddin-Ward House. The house was undergoing the initial massive restoration at the time, so I never actually had the opportunity to go inside. Years later, when I finally stepped through the doors with our students, I fell in love with that grand old lady immediately.”

🌟 What do you enjoy most about being a docent?
“What I enjoy most is meeting the people who come to see the house. Our visitors literally come from all over the world, and many of them have really done their homework when it comes to historic homes. I love hearing their stories, learning where they are from, and sharing the McFaddin-Ward House with people who are just as fascinated by history as I am.”

🌟 What is your favorite space in the house?
“One of my guests once pointed out that apparently every room is my favorite—and they may have been right! But if I have to choose, my most favorite is the third floor. I especially love the fact that you can still see roller-skate tracks up there. As the mother of four now adult children, three of whom are boys, I can appreciate that Ida [McFaddin] let the ‘boys be boys.’ Those little details make the family feel real and remind us that this beautiful historic house was also very much a home.”

🌟 Is there a special story that you like to share with visitors?
“One thing I love telling visitors is that if I could go back in time and meet anyone in history, it would be the family cook, Louis Lemon. I absolutely love his salty personality! Although, knowing Louis through the stories told about him, I probably would have been one of the first people he chased out of his kitchen!”

We're so fortunate to have Candace as part of our team, helping to make each tour special for our visitors! 💚💚💚

Want to get involved? We are currently accepting applications for new docents. Visit mcfaddin-ward.org/about/get-involved to learn more and submit an application.

08/27/2026

Read Andy Couglan's outstanding article on our Robert Rauschenberg lecture featured in The Beaumont Enterprise.

ICYMI: Robert Rauschenberg’s Texas roots shaped his groundbreaking art, from collage and Combines to works inspired by Port Arthur throughout his long career.
Click the link in the comments 👇️

08/26/2026

Was your home built to beat the heat? 💪🔥

Completed in 1906, the historic McFaddin Ward House 🏛 was well-designed by architect Henry Conrad Mauer to address the lengthy Southeast Texas summers.

The structure faces south to take full advantage of the cooler southern breeze off the Gulf. Large porches shade the first floors, and awnings provide shade to upper floors.

The layout encourages air circulation with transom windows over the doors situated in line with external doors and other windows that would allow the breeze to flow through the house. Tall ceilings allow hotter air to rise, leaving cooler air in the living spaces.

Let us know in the comments if your home features these “cool” architectural elements or any others that keep your space cooler in the summer.

Check out the link in our bio to learn more about how you can take an admission-free tour of this cleverly designed historic home.

08/26/2026

The McFaddin-Ward House Museum will host its annual Teacher Appreciation Happy Hour on Thursday, August 27, from 4:30 to 6 p.m., celebrating educators from acro