McFaddin-Ward House Museum

We had the best week at our 2026 Ranching Roundup Summer Camp! 🤠

Campers spent three fun-filled days experiencing another period in history on the grounds of the historic McFaddin-Ward House. They made memoires and friends while learning new skills like fishing with our friends from Village Creek State Park, biscuit making, barbecuing with our friends from 1701 Barbecue, gardening, and cooking on the range with a visit from an authentic chuckwagon.

Thank you to all the families who participated and the volunteers and community partners who helped make it happen! We can’t wait until next summer! 💚

✨ ONE WEEK until our next Lecture – The Golden Age of Ocean Liners: A Short History from 1897 to the Present | Thursday, June 11 @ 6:30 PM 🛳

Historian Brian Dudley will navigate titanic tales of the illustrious ocean liners that traveled the seas for more than half a century, tracing the technological, architectural, and decorative evolution of these great ships from 1897 to the present day. Dudley will also explain how these impressive ships helped shape world events and impacted history in the 20th century.

McFaddin-Ward House Museum lectures are admission-free and open to the public, but space is limited. Doors open at 6 p.m. For more information, call 409-832-2134. For those unable to attend, the full lecture will be available for viewing on the museum YouTube Channel (youtube.com/), Facebook (facebook.com/McFaddinWardHouse), and website (mcfaddin-ward.org/about/videos) after the event.

In conjunction with the lecture, the Art Museum of Southeast Texas (500 Main St., Beaumont) will offer lecture attendees and enthusiasts a private tour of its exhibition, “Julius Stockfleth: Dawn of a Century,” on Friday, June 12, at 10 a.m. The exhibition features the work of marine and landscape painter Julius Stockfleth, whose most notable paintings include famous ships that sailed during the late 1800s and early 1900s. One of the paintings on display depicts the HMHS Britannic, which was built by White Star Line and launched in 1914. The younger sister of the RMS Olympic and RMS Titanic, Britannic was intended to enter service as a transatlantic passenger liner but was lost during World War I.

Please join us in welcoming our new summer intern in the Collections Department, Nacole Rhodes! 🎉

This past May, Nacole graduated from Emory University, where she earned a BA in anthropology and visual arts. She was led to museum work through her chosen concentration of archaeology, after developing an interest in excavation and object conservation.

Nacole has explored the areas of curation, archaeological excavation, object conservation, and collections management. During her time at the McFaddin-Ward House, she hopes to learn more about the Collections Department and strengthen her curatorial skills, while also learning more about other departments, like Education and Programming.

Nacole plans on pursuing a MA in Museum Studies. During her free time, she loves to read, scrapbook, get active, and hangout with her cats Cory and Topanga.

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

☑️ Number 11: Youth Summer Programs

The Museum held its first summer programs for children in July 1992, offering three unique opportunities for area children to connect with local history.

At “Ridin’, Ropin’, and Ranchin’,” participants traveled to the ranch of Southeast Texas horse trainer and educator Bob Kahla in nearby Stowell to learn about ranching and McFaddin ranching history, view calf roping demonstrations, and take horseback rides. Additional activities took place in the McFaddin-Ward Carriage House.

“Art Glass: Shining Through Your Own Designs” gave children an opportunity to learn about the architectural use of colored glass while developing their own skills of observation and creativity.

“Climbing Your Family Tree: Genealogy for Kids” included a visit to the Tyrrell Historical Library for research on participants’ family histories. The children used their findings to create family trees.

Since that first year, the Museum has continued to offer a wide range of youth summer programs, exploring everything from history to household skills to horse grooming. This week, our Museum team is excited to welcome a new group of youngsters at our Ranching Roundup Summer Camp.

Share your memories from any McFaddin-Ward House Museum summer program you remember from your childhood or your child's in the comments!

We are pleased to announce an update to the McFaddin-Ward House Museum’s operating hours, tour times, and admission-free tour offerings this June. 🎉

Beginning next Tuesday, June 9, the Museum will be open Tuesday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and on Sunday from 12-2:30 p.m.

Two options for guided, admission-free tours will be available during operating hours:
• McFaddin-Ward House Tours (includes three floors of the Historic Home, Carriage House, and Gardens): Tuesday through Saturday at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. and on Sunday at 1 p.m. only. Open to ages eight and up.
• Carriage House and Garden Tour (does not include Historic Home): Tuesday through Saturday at 9 a.m. and 12 p.m. and on Sunday at 12 p.m. only. Open to all ages.

Booking tours online at mcfaddin-ward.org is recommended. Walk-ins will be accommodated with reserved tours as available. The last daily tour time will be 2 p.m.

More info in our website news story:
https://mcfaddin-ward.org/mcfaddin-ward-house-museum-announces-new-tour-offerings-hours/

McFaddin-Ward House Museum Announces New Tour Offerings, Hours - The McFaddin-Ward House The McFaddin-Ward House Museum is pleased to announce an update to the Museum’s operating hours, tour times, and admission-free tour offerings this June.

**PLEASE NOTE CLOSING THIS WEEK FOR SUMMER CAMP**

The McFaddin-Ward House Museum will be closed to the public on Wednesday, June 3 and Thursday, June 4 during our Ranching Roundup Summer Camp.

Normal hours resume on Friday, June 5.

✨ It’s – where we highlight the Museum’s collection of more than 35,000 original objects ✨

We can’t wait for our June 11 lecture on the grand era of luxury ocean liners, so we’re taking a closer look at menus from the McFaddin ladies’ 1938 trip aboard the legendary Cunard White Star flagship, The Queen Mary. 🛳️

The Queen Mary embarked on her maiden voyage on May 27, 1936. At the time, the magnificent luxury liner was considered the grandest ocean liner in the world, carrying celebrities, royalty, and important dignitaries. She was decked out with five dining areas and lounges, two cocktail bars and swimming pools, a grand ballroom, a squash court, and small hospital.

In the summer of 1938, Mamie McFaddin Ward and her mother Ida embarked on a transatlantic voyage aboard The Queen Mary, experiencing her marvels firsthand. Menus from their time aboard The Queen Mary are preserved in the Museum Collection.

Don’t miss our admission-free lecture – The Golden Age of Ocean Liners: A Short History from 1897 to the Present by historian Brian Dudley on Thursday, June 11 at 6:30 p.m.

Lecture – The Golden Age of Ocean Liners: A Short History from 1897 to the Present

Congratulations, Class of 2026! 🎉

Caldwell McFaddin, the youngest of the three McFaddin children, graduated from Beaumont High School in 1917. He was recognized as the valedictorian of his graduating class and went on to attend Rice Institute (later University) and Harvard Law School, graduating from Harvard in 1924.

Caldwell’s high school yearbook said of him, “If there’s anything you are in doubt about, just ask him—knowledge runs through his veins as well as blood.”

Share your graduation best wishes or memories in the comments!

📷: Caldwell McFaddin graduation portrait from Rice Institute, 1921. (Museum Collection)