BY JUDY LINSLEY

“Beyond Sustenance: Feast andFellowship,” the interpretive theme for 2014at the McFaddin-Ward House, has focused onfood and foodways in the lives of theMcFaddins. At Christmas, the role of food got“kicked up a notch,” as celebrity chef Emerilmight say. The season truly was celebratedwith feast and fellowship. Through familyrecords, oral interviews, and other documentsin our archives, we discover common threadsin holiday traditions for the McFaddins andother Beaumonters in the first half of the 20thcentury.

Many Beaumonters’ food memoriesrevolved around cooking. Fruitcake remaineda perennial holiday favorite and was some-thing Ida McFaddin enjoyed making, thoughshe didn’t ordinarily spend time in thekitchen. Albertine Parker, part time cook andmaid for the family, recalled that “Miss Ida andI made fruitcake together.”

Fruitcakes were also a Christmas staple at thehome of BeaumonterMildredCampbell Yates,growing up in the 1920s and 1930s. Each year

her grandmother made them, buying candied

BY MARCUS POWERS

The knee-jerk reaction to theword “lecture” is deeply imbedded inour minds as something boring andstaid, a product of our educationalcareers where a “lecture” meant lis-tening to a professor with a bearddrone on about 18th century eco-nomic conditions in Ireland or therole of gender in Russian literature.

But here at the museum, wework hard to bring you lectures thatare both fascinating and education-al. This year, we had talks on the

business of wine in Napa Valley,duck hunting, the early days ofBeaumont, art forgeries, and the gar-dens at Monticello.

Our 2015 Lecture Series is alsoshaping up to make for anotherexciting year. In January, we wel-come forensic sculptor AmandaDanning, who will kick off theseries. Danning has gained interna-tional recognition as a forensicsculptor, having been commissionedby the Smithsonian Institution for

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December 2014Vol. 31/No. 1 V S

See LECTURES, page 2

See MEALS, page 4

The LaSalle, Hotel Beaumont and Edson hotels — Beaumont’s finest in the 1920s —served Christmas dinner for travelers or those who chose not to have their meal at home.

Amanda Danning, forensic sculptor, consulting with Dr.Douglas Owsley, Head of Forensic Anthropology of theSmithsonianMuseum of Natural History.Photo credit DonaldHurlbert of the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History

Holiday meals went far beyond sustenance

EXCITING LECTURES COMING TO MWH MUSEUM IN 2015

By ALLEN LEA

From time to time, theMcFaddin-Ward House is approachedby other museums with requests toborrow objects from our collection fordisplay in exhibits, pertinent to theitems themselves and their place inthe history of Texas. Loaning objectsto other museums not only bringsmore publicity to both institutions,but it also gives the public, some ofwhom may never travel to Beaumont,a chance to learn about the history ofanother place.

Earlier this year, the BullockTexas State History Museum inAustin, Texas, contacted theMcFaddin-Ward House with a requestto borrow some objects for an exhibitthat explores the luxury, leisure andculture that grew out of the wealthfrom Texas oil booms. We were morethan happy to accommodate theirrequest, and soon packed and shippedobjects from our permanent display, aswell as some from our collections stor-age that the general public has neverseen.

The objects on loan reveal usefuland interesting information about thespending habits of a wealthy familyand how they were influenced by theexpanding world of advertising andmarketing techniques utilized by man-ufacturers and department stores.They bought what was available, whatwas stylish, and what they liked. And

while Beaumont was never a majorurban center, the McFaddins kept upwith mainstream tastes, and what theybought and the way they lived rein-forced their status as a wealthy familywith a noticeable and necessary pas-sion to consume.

W.P.H. and Ida McFaddin,Mamie and Carroll Ward frequentedAustin for business meetings as well aspersonal and leisure activities. Theseincluded Colonial Dames meetingsand the ever-popular Texas vs A&Mfootball games, as Carroll’s alma materwas A&M.

The Lucas Gusher in 1901 andthe Spindletop oil boom that followedsignificantly impacted the town ofBeaumont, doubling its populationand providing great wealth and anexpanding petroleum-based economy.

W.P.H. McFaddin was part ownerof the land on which the gusher waslocated. Already wealthy from the cat-tle business and other interests, theMcFaddin family prospered even moreafter the second Spindletop boom in1925, and from the sulphur miningoperations on the salt dome thatbegan about 1950.

The exhibit will be up throughNovember, 2015. If you are travelingaround Texas for this holiday season,or anytime in 2015 for that matter, besure and stop by the Bullock Museumfor a special treat. Please visitwww.thestoryoftexas.com for visitorinformation.

GONE TO AUSTIN-- Director’s Desk --

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Pieces on loan to the Bullock State History Museumfor an exhibit on oil wealth across Texas, now ondisplay at the museum in Austin.

reconstructions of Jamestown settlers,Buffalo Soldiers, ancient Paleo-Americans, and many others. Dr. DouglasOwsley of the Smithsonian InstitutionNational Museum of Natural History(NMNH) says, “It is rare to find someonewhose work can help interpret and bring tolife the past for so many people.”Danning’s work is on display at theNMNH and more than thirty U.S. muse-ums. She’ll be giving her talk “Making

Heads and Telling Tales” on January 29.On March 19, the man with the best

job in Texas will be here; Daniel Vaughn isthe Barbecue Editor for Texas Monthly, andhe’ll share the history of barbecue in theLone Star State.

Roger Wood, a retired college profes-sor and author of three acclaimed books onzydeco music, will be here on May 7. “LoneStar Lala: Texas and Zydeco Music” is hisfascinating talk, and he’ll share the uniquerole of southeast Texas in the shaping ofthis beloved genre of music.

Next summer (date to be determined),the people behind Bayou Rum Distillery, a

homegrown business in southwesternLouisiana, will talk about their distilleryand will feature the growing list of rumsthey produce in Lacassine.

And on October 22, a name familiarto many of you will round out our list oflectures. Carey Maloney, an award-win-ning architect and designer, will talk aboutthe culture of design and “stuff.”

It’s an eclectic list, to be sure, but onewe think will interest a broad audienceand further our goal of educating andenlightening southeast Texans. Join usnext year for one — or all — of these lec-tures!

LecturesContinued from page 1

BY SAM DALEO JR.

Carroll Ward’s 1961 RamblerAmbassador Super, on display in the carriagehouse garage, began life as a bicycle. That’sright, the “Rambler Bicycle” was an Americanbrand manufactured by the Gormully andJeffery Manufacturing Company in Chicagofrom 1878 to 1900.

The “Rambler” brand name was createdby Thomas B. Jeffery for his bicycles. However,in 1897, Jeffery built his first automobile andnamed it after his Rambler bicycle. It was asimple one-cylinder automobile with bicyclewheels and tiller steering and would laterevolve into the 1901 Rambler model A.

In 1899, Jeffery exhibited the newRambler at the Chicago InternationalExhibition and Tournament and at the firstNational Automobile Show inNewYork. TheRambler received very positive reviews.Encouraged, Jeffery decided to sell his bicyclecompany and focus onmanufacturing automo-biles.

Commercial mass-production of theRambler began in 1902. Fifteen hundred autoswere produced that year, representing one-sixth of all existingmotorcars in the country atthat time. This made the Thomas B. JefferyCompany the second largest auto manufactur-er in the country, behind only Oldsmobile.

In 1916, Jeffery’s company was purchasedbyCharlesW.Nash and becameNashMotors.Starting in 1917, autos carried the Nash brandname. In 1937, Nash merged with theKelvinator Appliance Company to becomethe Nash-Kelvinator Corporation.

In 1950, George Mason, president ofNash-Kelvinator, was trying to reach a largerautomobile market. He decided the bestchance the company had for doing this was tomake a small car. This resulted in the produc-tion of theNashRambler, the first compact carof the post-war era, and also brought back theRambler nameplate. The car was an immedi-ate success for the company.

In 1954, Nash-Kelvinator and theHudson Motor Car Company merged to cre-ate the American Motors Corporation(AMC). During 1955 and 1956 Ramblerswere marketed under both the Nash andHudson brand. The cars were virtually identi-cal. The Rambler marque was finally estab-lished in 1957.

With the death of George Mason in1954, George Romney became president of

AMC. In 1957, Romney began a reorganiza-tion that would continue to focus AMC’sfuture on a small car line. Also, in an attemptto streamline production, Romney combinedthe Nash and Hudson brands into a singleRambler marque. Nash and Hudson werephased out by the end of 1957. Rambler saleswere robust, so good that by 1960, Ramblerwas the third most popular auto brand in theU.S., behind Chevrolet and Ford. In 1963, theentire Rambler line received Motor Trend’sprestigious “Car of the Year” award.

In 1962, with the departure of GeorgeRomney, Roy Abernethy took over as presi-dent of AMC. Abernethy began a strategy ofcompeting head to head with Detroit’s “BigThree” auto makers, General Motors, FordMotor Company and Chrysler Corporation.Part of this strategy included a full line of auto-mobiles to compete with the varied stylesbeing offered by Detroit. Abernethy felt thecompact body style of the Rambler and theRambler name itself had acquired a stodgy

public image and would be a hindrance tosales. Beginning in 1966,AMCbegan to phaseout the Rambler marque in favor of an AMCmarque. On June 30, 1969 the last U.S.Rambler rolled off the production line inKenosha, Wisconsin.

Carroll Ward’s Rambler AmbassadorSuper was purchased on April 29, 1961, fromJimmie Himmel Rambler in Beaumont, Texas.Sadly, Carroll did not have the opportunity toenjoy his Rambler for very long, as he passedaway on July 13, 1961. Most of the 13,000miles on the odometer have been put there bystaff, either Mrs. Ward’s or the museum’s.

Over four million automobiles carriedthe Rambler name. From the very beginning,it was a unique and forward-looking automo-bile company, experimenting with innova-tions ranging from the steering wheel andspare tire in the early years to later advancesin unibody construction and fuel efficiency.Not bad for an automobile that began life ontwo wheels.

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Carroll Ward’s Rambler

Carroll Ward’s 1961Rambler, above,which is nowon display in theCarriage House,and an advertisementfor the sporty 1961Rambler.

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cherries, citrons and such at Chris Angelo’sspecialty food store downtown. Angelo’s alsoprovidedMildred’s aunt with dates for her spe-cial date-nut roll, which Mildred called “themost sinfully fattening confection this side ofHeaven.”

MaryAnnaCraryAnderson recalled thather mother’s fruitcakes “were really dark.Raisins came looking like a bunch of grapesthat had been flattened; they were still on thestem. We had to seed them and cut them up.The citrons had to be cut up too. When thecakes were made my mother put them incrocks and soaked them inwhiskey. The [guestbedroom] smelled like whiskey aroundChristmas.”

Preparations for Christmas dinner at theCampbell home began right afterThanksgiving. Mildred’s grandmother crackedpecans for “parching” (roasting) with butterand salt, always done in an old wood stove.The finished product was put into tins for giv-ing or saved for the Christmas table. Thegrandmother also made cheese straws—“longand peppery strips of very short pastry, brittlewith Cheddar cheese.”

Not all foods were homemade. Mildredrecalled Longe’s Coffee Company on PearlStreet as “the most wonderful place inBeaumont, maybe even in the world.” Besidescoffee, it handled unground spices that “sug-gested oceans far beyond the Gulf,” and dis-played glass cases filled with divinity, pecanrolls, fudge varieties, butter mints, and marzi-pan fruits.

Even “scratch” cooks needed ingredients,and Beaumont stores carried them.Fortunately, most stores delivered, some evenon Christmas Day. On Christmas Eve of 1901the FrenchMarket Grocery advised customersto “Please give all Christmas orders by mid-night, as no orders will be taken for deliveryafter that time.”

Housewives carefully checked newspa-pers for prices and availability and to keep inthe know. In 1912 turkeys were scarce and soldfor 17 ½ cents a pound—high at the time. By1922 turkeys cost 40 cents per pound alive, or45 cents “dressed.” Not everyone bought aturkey. “A whole lot of people [are] going outto try and get a Christmas goose or a brace ofducks,” reported the Beaumont Journal. In1920, with Prohibition just under way, theJournal noted that egg prices were rising so fastthat they would soon be “bootlegged, just the

way the [egg] nogg is.” Cooks could also findnew recipes in the newspaper; in 1910 theJournal touted the Lady Baltimore Cake as“the most popular cake this season.”

Certain items were available to shoppersonly around the holidays. In 1910 theBeaumont Enterprise announced the arrival of a“monster trainload” of “Red Ball” oranges, amust for making ambrosia and fillingChristmas stockings. Beaumonter CharlsieBerly recalled that her stocking always con-tained “one apple, one orange, pecans, Englishand black walnuts, and Brazil nuts.”

When the big day came at last, everyfamily had a traditional menu. At the top ofthe list were the requisite turkey and dressing,ambrosia and a sweet potato dish. Beyond

that, anything went. To those four basics, theCampbell family added a veritable Victorianarray of food: shrimp or fruit cocktail, con-gealed cranberry-and-pecan salad, wild duckor goose, country ham, roast beef, macaroniand cheese, scalloped potatoes, cauliflowerHollandaise, English peas, candied yams,gravy, and Parker House rolls. Condimentsincluded homemade pickles, spiced peaches,olives, cheese straws, and individual dishes ofparched pecans. Desserts were plum pudding,cabinet pudding, fruitcake, and of course,Auntie’s date-nut roll.

Holiday dinners for other Beaumonterswere less elaborate but just as festive. Mildred

FoodContinued from page 1

Longe’s Coffee Company, where at Christmas Beaumonters could find specialty coffee,candy, and spices, was located in the Alamo Block on the north end of Pearl Street.

The StedmanFruitCompany sup-pliedBeaumonterswith not onlyfruit but can-dies and fire-works atChristmas, inthis 1913 ad.

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BY ARLENE CHRISTIANSEN

Tech-nol-o-gy noun /tek-‘na-le-jé —electronic or digital products and systemsconsidered as a group; the use of science inindustry, engineering, etc.; to invent usefulthings or solve problems; a machine, piece ofequipment, method, etc. that is created bytechnology.

Technology is supposed to make ourlives easier — yeah, right. Okay, it does,when it is functioning properly. So I don’tsound like a complete grouch, let me go backin time a bit. Over the past few years, wehave tried to incorporate 21st-century tech-nology into an early 20th-century grid (or nogrid at all). We have tried to take a hodge-podge of buildings, some over a century old,some new, and some in between, and rigthem up to accommodate phone systems,computers, alarm systems, and wireless inter-net. This is no easy feat.

Back in the beginning, ca. 1986, webasically had a simple phone system andalarms. The technicians tried to use the lat-est technology, which included burying linesunderground. That worked pretty well for agood while; we were even able to connectthe visitor center to the phone system withunderground lines. That was quite a chal-lenge, because if you remember, the visitorcenter is two blocks from where the equip-ment is located in the carriage house. Later,when the internet came along and it was fea-sible for us to get it, we tried to connect thevisitor center, something that never workedvery well. The dial-up connection operatedat the pace of a snail — and that was on agood day. In fact, none of the buildings real-ly had good service, but it was all we had andwe were happy with it. After all, we had theINTERNET— we were part of the WorldWide Web!

Then in 2008, Hurricane Ike paid us avisit and we lost the ability to communicatewith the visitor center at all. After morethan a year of unsuccessfully trying to locatethe lines, using cellphones, and even chang-ing to VoIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol;that was horrible — you could hear onlyabout every other word), it was decided toseparate the VC from the system and let itstand alone. The VC now has its own phonesystem and internet connection, and two

dedicated lines for the alarm system.Naturally, after the changes were made,

we ran across the diagram showing the loca-tion of the original lines to the VC. Theywere right in the path of a huge tree on ThirdStreet that fell during the storm, uprootingeverything in the ground around it. It wasnot considered cost effective to try to rerunthe lines and restore the system, especiallysince it works very well as it is.

The curatorial office building (COB) isalso connected by underground line to thecarriage house. We recently had to replace aphone line in the COB, and I’m sure that inthe not-too-distant future we’ll have toreplace the underground line as well. Afterall, it’s only been there since 1987.

For many years the phone system con-sisted of five lines, with the fire and burglaralarms attached to the lines. What a night-mare! We constantly experienced problemswith either the phones or the alarms. Thealarms were programmed to dial out toreport, tying up the phone each time theydid. A few years ago we added enough phonelines to give each alarm a dedicated line.

Of course, with so many lines, many of

them old, repairing one problem creates aglitch somewhere else, particularly whenmore than one service is involved. For somereason the fax line still shares a line with analarm, although it is a secondary line and notthe primary. Just recently we had troublewith the alarm; the alarm people came out,and guess what? — then the fax line didn’twork. The phone people had to come out tosee what is going on. We may have to addanother dedicated line to accommodate thealarm that is now attached to the faxmachine.

I haven’t even addressed data storageproblems. Should we back up using the cloudor try to use standard backup on externalhard drives? A data storage company gave usa bid, but they wanted to bid strictly on back-up, so we would have to remove a lot of ourdata to another medium. WE ARE AMUSEUM, so we are supposed to keepeverything FOREVER! We’re still workingon this dilemma.

It’s never ending. We might get it alltogether someday, but then I’m sure a newtechnology will come along, and we’ll be offand running — to keep up — again.

Technology in an old place

A large tree was uprooted during Hurricane Ike and broke the original telephone linesto the Visitor Center from the administrative offices.

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On October 16, our ever-popular fall picnic was held on the lawn of the muse-um. Hundreds of people gathered to play croquet, tour the first floor of themuseum, listen to the sounds of Katie Whitney & the Draw, and enjoy food fromRockin’ Mama’s Kitchen food truck. It was perfect fall weather for a picnic, andmany families took advantage of the clear skies and cooler temperatures.

PERFECT POPULAR PICNIC

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A once-in-a-lifetime event happened at the museum on November 1:a wedding reception! Lane Wilson (great grand-niece of Mamie McFaddin

Ward) held the reception for her wedding on the lawn of the museum.Around 150 guests had dinner on the back lawn, followed by dancing.

The week-long preparations culminated in a beautiful affair.

Love all around

By Becky Fertitta

There have been many questions surround-ing the “awards” that are handed out at our docentappreciation banquet in January; the follow-ing–reprinted from a previous issue—shouldanswer many of these questions. A new docentclass is scheduled to start up February 2015; it willrun for six weeks through March, with sessionsfrom 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. every Monday. If youhave any questions about the training program,please call Becky Fertitta at (409) 832-2134.

TheMcFaddin-WardHouse is very fortu-nate to have a remarkable group of adult vol-unteers, approximately 65 in number, many ofwhom take a real interest in the goings-on ofthe museum and are committed to helpingmake it the very best that it can be. From theinception, the McFaddin-Ward House Boardof Directors planned that tours (and eventual-ly other tasks) would be provided by volunteerdocents, not paid staff. To that end, the boardalso sought out first-class professionals todevelop a course that would ensure a highlycompetent group of interpreters. To this day,although it has undergone many changes, theMcFaddin-Ward House Docent TrainingProgram is first-rate and a program that con-tinues to bear amazing “fruit” thirty years afterthe original class of docents was trained.

Because of the extremely high regard Ihave for the volunteers, when the leaders ofour Volunteer Service Council (VSC—umbrella organization for all MWH volun-teers) asked me to explain, in Viewpoints, theorganizational structure for our volunteerrecognition program, I jumped at the chance;mainly because I know that, even though itmakes perfect sense to me as volunteer coordi-nator, the program is mostly a mighty muddlefor our volunteers.

For the most part, the program is a mud-dle to them because being recognized for theirservice is an added bonus — they really enjoyvolunteering at the museum and never give athought to the “pat on the back” they mostassuredly deserve. But any serious volunteerprogram must make recognition a key part ofthe volunteer package. At our museum, excel-lent training and fair recognition of service arethe basis of our volunteer program. In the earlydays, volunteers were recognized by their yearsof service. It was soon evident that thismethod was not quite fair to the really devot-ed workers. In 1996, the current recognitionprogram was implemented and remains to this

day — with a few tweaks along the way.When a volunteer amasses a total of 125

hours of service, they receive a service pin.The pin is silver and is a jeweler’s rendition ofthe front doors of the McFaddin-Ward House.Men receive a tie tac in the same style. Usually

volunteers are quite surprised to receive thistoken, because they have absolutely no ideathey have given that many hours. They reachthis step after about three years of service.When the volunteer has accumulated 250hours of service, usually after an additional two

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BEING A VOLUNTEER AT THE

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years, a small diamond is added to the servicepin. They are not surprised by this bit of recog-nition, because they have to return the pin tome; I in turn send it to the jeweler for theenhancement.

At 500 hours volunteers are recognizedwith a small gift, a key chain made from thewood of our historic oak tree “Rachel.” Shetoppled over in 2008, thanks toHurricane Ike.

Rachel is one of a pair of oaks who have gracedthe grounds of the museum for decades, wellover 100 years. She and her companionWilliam were named for William and RachelMcFaddin, parents of W.P.H. McFaddin.Having names is a must when trees becomemembers of the Louisiana Live Oak Society.

When a volunteer has given 750 hours ofservice to the museum, they receive a framed

print of the MWH. And on the rare occasionthat a volunteer tops the 1000 hour mark,twelve so far, they are given a pen and pencilset made from Rachel’s wood. The box theyare presented in, although not made from thesame wood, is engraved with the volunteer’sname and the year. The stops along this“Recognition Trail” honor our volunteers forevery hour they give, be it giving tours, help-ing with an outreach program, or planning aprogram over the entirety of their career.

There are two additional awards giveneach year. One, called the Visitor ServiceAward, honors the person who donated themost hours in the calendar year working withvisitors. This award usually goes to a docentwho has given far beyond the normal amountof time giving tours. Volunteers’ hours arelogged day in and day out all year long, and theone with the most hours receives this award.The highest award a volunteer can receive isthe Volunteer Innovation Personified (VIP)designation. This recognition highlights a vol-unteer who consistently goes way beyond thecall of duty and has a real impact on the muse-um’s mission. A small ruby and an additionaldiamond are added to the VIP’s service pin.

Small changes have been made to ourrecognition program through the years, butnone somuch as a recent change in the specialhonor shown to the past president of our VSC.For many years, the president’s service pin wassent to the jeweler for a light gold-wash denot-ing the special status. Because it has becomeextremely difficult to accomplish this particu-lar task, past presidents now receive a plaque,suitable for hanging, with theMcFaddin-WardHouse logo screen printed on a slate that oncegraced the roof of our museum. When themuseum’s roof was restored in 2001 — 2002,the contractor used slate from the same quarryin Pennsylvania to replace the original. Theoriginal pieces that were in good conditionwere saved and now can be given to our pastpresidents — a little bit of history just forthem.

It is such an honor to be the one whoshares these special gifts of recognitionwith theadult volunteers at our appreciation banqueteach year. The program outlined above showsour volunteers how much they are valued andappreciated. In addition to gifts and accolades,I hope that through my words and deeds, aswell as those of the entire McFaddin-WardHouse staff, our volunteers know that they arethe museum’s greatest assets.

MCFADDIN-WARD HOUSE

By Marcus Powers

There’s a lot of cynicism surroundingthe holidays these days, and it’s not entirelyunwarranted. It seems every year, Christmastrumps every other holiday and gets pushedback earlier and earlier into autumn.Thanksgiving hasn’t been entirelyChristmas-free for years, and nowadays evenHalloween isn’t safe.

But despite the fact that Christmasshould probably be contained in the monthof December, it and the other holidays thismonth definitely live up to the hype, ringingtrue with the cliché of the “most wonderfultime of the year,” especially, if I might say, atthe McFaddin-Ward House.

When I started working here one yearago, my very first day on the job was the daythe staff was busy readying the house for theChristmas installation. Poinsettias wereeverywhere, greenery lined the hallways, andplastic tubs full of decorations covered theentrance hall. It was a pretty great welcometo my new job.

This year, we’re continuing in thegrand tradition of dressing up the house forthe holidays and inviting you in to see whatwe’ve been up to. And with three events–on top of our regular tours — there areplenty of chances for you and your family tosee the McFaddin-Ward House this holidayseason.

On December 3, the museum will openits doors to the public for regular tours, hallsfully decked. The poinsettias will be out, thestaircase will be decorated, and (perhapseveryone’s favorite part) the two dining areaswill be set up for some grand holiday party.

Our three events this year are all shap-ing up to be a lot of fun. On Thursday,December 11, we’ve got another installmentin our free movie night series, and this timeit’s a classic: “White Christmas.” I am partic-ularly excited about this musical, since I grewup watching it with my family. The followingSaturday, December 13, is our biggest eventof the season, the holiday open house. From1 to 4 p.m., we’ll open the doors and wel-come everyone into the museum. Free first-floor tours, live music, snacks, and crafts willbe a part of the festivities. And Santa willmake an appearance, of course. (It is

Christmas, after all.) And finally, onThursday, December 18, from 5-7 p.m., we’llhave our signature Eggnog Evening; it’s yourchance to see the house lit up at night (it’sbeautiful, trust me), tour the first floor, andenjoy a little eggnog with friends and family— a warm and cheering experience!

And a returning tradition this year isour holiday ornament. This year’s ornamentfeatures the house straight-on in a beautifulsilver overlay. It’s simple, classic, and gor-geous. The ornaments are from CharlestonMint, a family-owned company which is theoldest of its kind in the country. They areavailable in the Visitor Center for $20. Getthem while they last!

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The McFaddin-Ward House Museum isalways decorated for the holidays.

THE MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF THE YEAR

AT THE MCFADDIN-WARD HOUSE

It wouldn’t be Christmas without thespirit of giving. That spirit is somethingMamie McFaddin Ward embodied herentire life, and the foundation she leftbehind — the Mamie McFaddin WardHeritage Foundation— continues her lega-cy by giving grants to various organizationsand other nonprofits across the area. Therecipients of those grants for 2014 are thefollowing: the Tyrrell Historical Library

Association, the National Society ofColonial Dames of America in the State ofTexas, Nutrition & Services for Seniors,Family Services of Southeast Texas,Buckner Children and Family Services, NauCenter for Texas Cultural Heritage, theSymphony of Southeast Texas, CHRISTUSHealth Foundation of Southeast Texas, theArt Museum of Southeast Texas, and theBeaumont Police Department.

2014 Mamie McFaddin WardHeritage Foundation Grant Recipients

By BECKY FERTITTA

2014 has been a busy, fun-filled year atthe visitor center, and the volunteers havebeen there for every lecture and celebrationand outreach program. As the year drawsquickly to a close, it’s good to give thanksfor the great times and the exceptional vol-unteers who make the McFaddin-WardHouse such a special place. As with anyorganization, the museum has a core groupof individuals who devote time, “waybeyond expectations,” to the business ofvolunteering.

Our Volunteer Service CouncilExecutive Board is at the top of that list.The president, Peggy Ducote, has done afantastic job of steering the ship, with thehelp of her officers: Lyndia King, president-elect; Joan Madigan, social/hospitalitychair; Teresa Orr, social/hospitality co-chair; Lisa Hitt, education committee;Linda Martin, education committee co-chair; andGloriaAyres, past president. Thecommittee chairs have been extremelybusy, as have their members, all of whomdeserve massive “Thank Yous!”

A special group of volunteers are alsopart of that core group because they haveworked diligently all year with smiles ontheir faces and love in their hearts!Social/Hospitality committee members for2014 are Laura Assunto, Dolores Belton,

Denise Delboy, Billie Osborn, Lilo Stevens,and Kim Williams. Education committeemembers are Melissa Campbell, KarenChapman, Joyce Gaskin, Barbara Smith,and Glenda Warren. I’m applauding theseladies for the fabulous job they have alldone in 2014.

The year 2015 is already shaping up tobe exciting and full of activities. The nom-inating committee for the Volunteer

Service Council has provided the followingslate of officers for election at theVolunteerAppreciation Banquet on January 31,2015: President, Lyndia King; President-elect, Joan Madigan; EducationCommittee Chair, Lisa Hitt; EducationCommittee Co-Chair, Linda Martin;Social/Hospitality Chair Laura Assunto;and Social/ Hospitality Co-Chair KimWilliams.

Viewpoints from the Visitor Center

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Members of the 2012 Volunteer Service Council give their thumbs up for the Christmasinstallation.

Killbuck grew up onHazel Street near the rail-road tracks, just northeast of the McFaddins’carriage house. One of seven children, sheacknowledged that “money was short.” Butthey always had enough at Christmas to feedothers — the unemployed couple living in anearby vacant house and “at least one tran-sient” from the hobo camp along the tracks.Their dog even got a gift of bones. Feedingothers was all part of celebrating the day prop-erly.

New Deal work programs provided jobsthat allowed some breadwinners to feed theirfamilies; the Beaumont Journal reported in1935 that “Families in an estimated 3,500,000homes across the country were eating

[Christmas] dinners paid for by wages from thework-relief program.”

Less fortunate Beaumonters could stilllook forward to a Christmas meal. In 1906 theSalvation Army Beaumont Corps planned tofeed about 1,000 needy people on Christmas.During the 1920s and 1930s, the BeaumontJournal’s Milk and Ice Fund collected dona-tions to provide indigent families withChristmas dinner. Other charitable groups andchurches filled baskets with food and deliveredthem to families who would otherwise havegone hungry on Christmas Day.

While most Christmas meals took placeat home, some Beaumonters ate out. In 1918the Beaumont Journal announced that “Thenew Pershing dining room at the CrosbyHouse (named for General J.J. Pershing, com-mander of U.S. troops in World War I) wasopened Christmas day.” During World War II,

with domestic help scarce, the McFaddins andWards held family holiday dinners at HotelBeaumont, the Beaumont Country Club, orthe Beaumont Club. “Lovely dinner,” MamieWard recorded in her diary after a New Year’sdinner Ida hosted for 20 family members atHotel Beaumont.

Beaumonters in the early 20th centurykept Christmas in a variety of ways. Holidayfood traditions did indeed go far “beyond sus-tenance.” The rituals surrounding food —preparation, shared meals, gift-giving, andsocial interaction—created a warmth andcheer at Christmas that was unmatched at anyother season. Mildred Yates rightly describedChristmas as a time of “joy and family tradi-tion.”

The McFaddin Christmas interpretation,“Christmas: Feasts and Fellowship” will runfrom December 3 through January 4.

MealsContinued from page 4

Events Calendar

Thursday, December 11Movie Night

“White Christmas”6:30 p.m.

Saturday, December 13Holiday Open House1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Thursday, December 18Eggnog Evening5 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Thursday, January 29Lecture

“Making Heads and Telling Tales”6:30 p.m.

B

Viewpoints-Page 8The

McFADDIN-WARDHOUSE

Historic House Museum725 North Third StreetBEAUMONT, TEXAS

77701-1629Return Service Requested

Vol. 31, No. 1December 2014

Published quarterly for volunteers of theMcFaddin-Ward House and others

interested in cultural andeducational aspects of the museum.

(409) 832-1906, office(409) 832-2134, visitor centerwww.mcfaddin-ward.org

2013 Press Club of Southeast TexasExcellence in Media Award winner for Best Newsletter

Volunteer Calendar

Wednesday, December 3Volunteer ChristmasPreview and Reception10 a.m. and 6:30 p.m.

Lecture Hall

Saturday, December 27JI Tour Day

10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Sunday, December 28JI Tour Day

1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Saturday, January 31Volunteer Appreciation Banquet

MCM Eleganté11 a.m.

Monday, February 16(date tentative)MWH Book ClubLecture HallNoon

IEWPOINTMcFADDIN-WARD HOUSEV S

NON-PROFITORGANIZATIONU.S. POSTAGE

PAIDBEAUMONT, TXPERMIT NO. 271

www.arts.gov/bluestarmuseums

S