BY JUDY LINSLEY

Each year, the chosen theme at theMcFaddin-Ward House interprets a particu-lar time or aspect of the McFaddin family.One theme — food — has never been fea-tured but has figured importantly in everyinterpretation. For humans, food involvesmuch more than the simple act of eating forsurvival; it is a cultural ritual, a focal point forsocial activities, customs and traditions.

For the museum, food and its accompa-niments also provide a means of characteriz-

ing the people we interpret. With our 2014theme, which we’ve titled “BeyondSustenance: Feast and Fellowship,” we’ll dis-cuss the role of food in the lives and lifestylesof the McFaddins and of southeast Texans.

Early settlers to southeast Texas broughtmany cooking customs with them. Overtime, these customs evolved into a distinctiveregional cuisine, with one overriding com-mon feature: hospitality. Rachel andWilliam, W.P.H. McFaddin’s parents, wererenowned for their hospitality and for settinga generous table. Ida McFaddin recalled herfather-in-law urging her to stay for dinner,saying “We haven’t got much, but stay any-

way,” even though the table was “groaningwith food.”

Ida and W.P.H. carried on the dual tradi-tions of food and hospitality; their daughterMamie McFaddin Ward recalled: “There wasalways room for one more. My brothers hadguests whenever they wanted them, and sodid I.”

Food also figured prominently in thememories of people who worked for theMcFaddins. Former ranch employee FloydFrank recalled that during roundup, he andother hands ate “very good” food at “a table

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See SUSTENANCE, page 5

‘Beyond Sustenance: Feast and Fellowship’A Daughters of the Revolution banquet in 1912 in West Virginia, attended by Ida McFaddin’s sister, Ouida Caldwell Watts.

MUSEUM SETS THEME FOR 2014

By ALLEN LEA

“They just don’t make them like theyused to.” We’ve all heard that before.Within the past year, this saying has beenapplied to new kinds of light bulbs, asincandescent light bulbs are, by law, phasedout of use. It’s especially appropriate, astoday’s incandescent bulb is a directdescendant of the incandescent bulb thatThomas Edison first publicly demonstratedin 1879.

As the ban and phaseout of the famil-iar 75- and 100-watt incandescent bulbsbegan last year, angry people blasted outtheir opinions on the Internet, criticizing,among other things, the quality, durabilityor cost of the new bulbs. Many were alsoinspired to begin hoarding the old ones,since as of January 1, 2014 the ban pro-hibits the production and importation of40- and 60-watt incandescent bulbs.Retailers report that they have up to a six-month supply and can still sell theirremaining stock, but when their supplyruns out they are gone forever. Some spe-

cialty bulbs, such as the candelabra baseand appliance bulbs, will continue to beproduced, however.

Many museums around the world aremoving in the direction of light-emittingdiode (LED) bulbs to cut down on energyconsumption, but as a historic house muse-

um, we must consider our interpretation ofdecades past. Replacing exposed Edison fil-ament and incandescent bulbs with LEDbulbs would surely look strange to visitorsand entirely change the overall experienceof visiting a historic house museum.

Now, I am not suggesting that every-one should hurry up and buy all of theremaining 40- and 60-watt bulbs, becausethen there would be fewer for us; but it maybe something to consider, since many peo-ple and museums (like us) are hoardingthem for future use.

We have a few years’ supply on hand,and looking on the bright side (punintended), who knows? By then somefuture inventionmay truly take the place ofthe old familiar incandescent bulb. Andnot all hope is lost; there are twenty-twotypes of incandescent bulbs that areexempt from the new efficiency standards.But either way, the “old soul” that lives inme keeps repeating, like a litany: “Theyjust don’t make them like they used to.”

“Just because something doesn’t do what youplanned it to do doesn’t mean it’s useless.”

— Thomas A. Edison

OUT WITH THE NEW, IN WITH THE OLD

-- Director’s Desk --

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Did You Know…The roof of the

McFaddin-Ward House iscovered by more than 7,300slate tiles that, together,weigh more than ten tons.

Replacing Edison filament bulbs (left) with an LED bulb (right)would obviously change the interpretation of fixtures with

visible bulbs, such as antique chandeliers and wall sconces.

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Each year, the Mamie McFaddin Ward Heritage Foundation awards grants to various organizations around southeastTexas. In 2013, twelve grants were awarded to a wide array of nonprofits that serve the region in a multitude of ways.

ALL SAINTS EPISCOPAL SCHOOLRestoration and repair of the 55-year-old

Mamie McFaddin Ward Hall

ANAYAT HOUSE, INC.Room named for Mamie McFaddin Ward

in new medical hospitality house

BEAUMONT COMMUNITY PLAYERSNew stage lighting and control consolefor the Mamie McFaddin Ward Theatre

BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA,THREE RIVERS COUNCIL

Renovations and improvements at Camp Urland

BUCKNER CHILDREN AND FAMILYSERVICES, INC.-BEAUMONTReplacement of old ceiling tilesand correction of sewage issues

FAMILY SERVICES OF SOUTHEATS TEXASAsphalt repairs to parking lot

at the Women and Children’s Shelter

LAMAR UNIVERSITY FOUNDATIONExpansion of Texas Governor’s Project

MONSIGNOR KELLYCATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL

Enhancing technology through iPad Initiative

NUTRITION & SERVICESFOR SENIORS

Funding Meals on Wheels program

SOUTHEAST TEXAS FOOD BANKNew delivery van, to replace 10-year-old delivery van

SOUTHEAST TEXASNONPROFIT DEVELOPMENT CENTERFunding for promotional memberships, stipends,

and scholarships for nonprofit organizations

THE WOMAN’S CLUB OF BEAUMONTRegulation and tuning of four grand pianos

One dozen area nonprofits benefit fromMamie McFaddin Ward Heritage Foundation 2013 grants

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BY SAM DALEOAND MICHELLE CATE

The current exhibit in the visitor cen-ter case displays examples of lifelike table-ware in the museum collection. Theybrought color, fun and function to the tablesettings of the McFaddins and Wards. Theback stories on some of these quirky artifactshelp to paint a bigger picture of the timesand places of their origins.

The colored glass marmalade jars weremade around 1918 by the Steuben GlassCompany in Corning, New York. Given aswedding gifts to Mamie and Carroll Ward in1919, they were produced about the timethe Corning Glass Works bought out theSteuben Glass Company.

The Steuben Glass Company wasfounded in 1903 by Frederick Carder (1863-1963). Initially, Steuben Glass was a suppli-er of glass blanks (undecorated glass pieces)to other Corning glass concerns. Carder,however, originally an established glassdesigner in England before coming toAmerica, soon branched out and beganexperimenting with design and color. Hisresulting “Art Glass” pieces soon rivaledother glass giants of the time, such as LouisComfort Tiffany.

Having suffered financially during theFirst World War, Steuben was bought by theCorning Glass Works in January 1918.Corning immediately halted Steuben’s pro-duction of colored glass. Production did notresume until 1921 and continued until

1933, at which time it was stopped com-pletely. After that, Steuben manufacturedonly colorless glass until the company closedcompletely in 2011.

The Italian ceramic fruit was probablyproduced in the town of Bassano delGrappa, which is located in the Venetoregion in the northeast of Italy. A very oldtown, it was founded by the Romans in the2nd century BC, but archaeological evi-dence suggests it was inhabited much earlier.In 1404, it was acquired by the republic ofVenice. It developed a thriving industrynoted for the production of wool, silk, ironand copper, but especially ceramics. Theseinclude fruit pieces sculpted and hand paint-ed in an almost “impressionistic” style.

Although our fruit pieces are markedonly with “Italy,” they almost certainly wereproduced by the Bassano del Grappa potters,probably in the 1920s or 1930s.

Two of the other pieces are marked“P.V.” and “Czechoslovakia.” These are thecrab bouillon bowls and the tomato-shapedpitcher. The covered tomato dish, thoughunmarked, is likely to be from the samemaker. The trademark “P.V.” was used bythe company Mitteldorfer Straus, Inc.beginning in 1928, and was last registered in1950. Mitteldorfer Straus was an importerand seller of a variety of goods, includingcoffee, tea, cocoa and artificial coffee; rice;tapioca and sago; flour and cereals; bread,pastry and confectionery; ices; sugar, honey,treacle; yeast, baking-powder; salt; mustard;vinegar, sauces; and spices. But the companywas also known for pottery — earthenware,china, and porcelain plates and dishes. Anadvertisement postcard dated in the 1930sgives the address of their “studio” as 245Fifth Avenue, New York, New York.

It’s thought that P.V. might stand forpottery village or peasant village. The“Bohemian” region of Czechoslovakia (nowCzech Republic) has long been known forits manufacturing prowess and is particularlyfamous for glass and pottery. The naturalresources for production of these items arereadily available, as is the tradition of skilledcraftsmanship.

New exhibit details ‘Lively Tableware’

These pieces are all made of pressed glass; the compote in the middle is possibly early Fostoria.

Produced in northeast Italy, in a town renowned for pieces such as this, these ceramic fruit piecesprobably date from the 1920s or 1930s.

COLLECTIONS CORNER

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as long as from here to there.” “You had thebest out there to eat, you know,” he said.“And plenty of it.”

The McFaddins’ eating habits actuallyreflected current culinary trends. They raisedor grew much of their own food, so it wentdirectly from “farm to table.” For years, thefamily kept a milk cow and chickens in pensaround the carriage house. The McFaddinfarm south of town provided fresh vegetablesand fruit, eggs, chickens, and pork from chopsto sausage; and rice from the family’s mill wasa staple. “McFaddin Steaks” were once servedin New York restaurants, and during therationing of World Wars I and II, the familyenjoyed beef from their ranch.

“Wild caught” game and seafood alsooften graced the McFaddin family table. Thevast marshes at the ranch provided duck andgoose hunting, and the Gulf waters at BolivarPeninsula furnished fish, oysters, shrimp andcrab.

Sometimes unexpected but delightfuldetails pop up in the museum’s oral inter-views to enhance our body of informationabout the house. Family friend Garnette Pittsrecalled eating “the best salad” of “avocadosand shredded cheese and pimientos” at “MissIda’s.” Memories and images of food areimbedded in the museum’s interpretation:

Ida, Mamie, and Ouida with their breakfasttrays, children eating in the breakfast room,Louis Lemon’s red peppers in the stove burn-ers, W.P.H. with teacakes in his pocket.

Ida McFaddin’s granddaughter RosineMcFaddin Wilson recalled eating habitswhen describing her grandparents. Of hergrandmother, she said:

She loved raw onions, the green shallot

type, and they would be served to her on a platewith salt as a side dish….She enjoyed food andcollected recipes. She introduced several gour-met dishes to Beaumont, and on several occa-sions she gave the chef at a local club the recipefor a party she was having, only to find it soonappearing on the menu as a regular item.

(Ida not only collected recipes but cri-tiqued them, writing “splendid” or “perfectlysplendid” on the best. “Perfectly Splendid”became the title for a museum cookbook ofrecipes in the archives.)

Rosine Wilson recalled W.P.H.McFaddin’s eating preferences as well:

Grandfather loved grits, red-eye gravy, but-termilk, and clabber. He also loved sweets, andcarried tea cakes or mints in his pockets. I used torun to him to kiss him, and then reach into hispockets to get a goody.

That love for sweets could be seen inW.P.H.’s custom of beginning his meal withdessert, something that made an impressionon Carroll Ward’s niece Mabelle MartinBryant:

And the rest of us would be eating our cock-tail or our salad, and someone said “Mr.McFaddin, are you enjoying your dessert?” Andhe said, “Why of course. If you have the bestfirst, you have the best always.”

Other family, friends, and employeesoften mentioned food when talking about thefamily or the house. The museum’s oral histo-ries are — pardon the reference — larded

SustenanceContinued from page 1

Another “splendid” recipe, this French dressing includes a still-common ingredient:Campbell’s tomato soup. See SUSTENANCE, page 9

From left to right, Mamie McFaddin Ward, Ida McFaddin and Carroll Ward enjoyingdinner in Duluth, Minnesota.

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As it does every year, the McFaddin-Ward House opened its doors for severalholiday events. From the annual openhouse, to the showing of the holidayclassic “We’re No Angels,” to the signa-ture Eggnog Evening, there was noshortage of Christmas cheer at themuseum. Docents previewed theChristmas interpretation early inDecember, and the public enjoyed thedecorations — including nearly 100poinsettias — throughout the holidays.It’s a yearly tradition that never gets old.

HOLIDAYSAT THEMUSEUM

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with their food memories. Perry Jr. was oftenseen carrying a large Hershey bar; andCaldwell, according to his daughter RosineWilson, was “very fond of” ice cream, offeringto trade his own empty dessert bowl for thelarge serving bowl of ice cream in the butler’shands.

An adult beverage figured into aMcFaddin story from Garnette Pitts, whorecalled that on an ocean liner headed toEurope, Ida and her friend Mabel Ritter“decided they’d be real worldly.” When thesteward asked them if they wanted a cocktail,Mabel ordered a scotch and water; Ida said“I’ll have a scotch and a teaspoon of soda,”believing that the drink was made with bak-

ing soda, not a carbonated beverage.According to Garnette, Ida enjoyed tellingthat story on herself.

Strangely, our documentation tells ussurprisingly little about Mamie’s eating pref-erences. Her diaries contain complete menusand other records of luncheons, dinners, teasand receptions, but rarely her personal opin-ion of specific dishes. As an adult she had adelicate digestive tract and could not toleratea number of foods; perhaps her pleasure camemore from others’ enjoyment of food than herown.

The September 2013 issue of ScientificAmerican was all about food — its evolution,chemistry, mystique and future; the headlineread, “It started as fuel, became a passion,ignited a global crisis — and made ushuman.” Our approach is considerably lessanalytical, but we will try to connect the

dots between food and lifestyles for theMcFaddins and other Southeast Texans.The science of food will doubtless continueto evolve, of course; but food will remainintegral to our culture, whether we dig intoa plate of raw greens or a platter of friedchicken.

BY MARCUS POWERS

Coming to work at the McFaddin-Ward House Museum is something of a full-circle moment for me. Growing up, I oftenvisited historic homes with my grandmoth-er. The McFaddin-Ward House was one ofour favorites, and I remember coming herecountless times throughout the years.

When, last summer, I got an email call-ing for volunteers to serve as docents at themuseum, I jumped at the chance. InAugust, I started my training and became adocent. At that time, I had absolutely noplans to leave my job in television news.Years ago, in college, I had interned at PBSin Washington, D.C. While there, I visitedthe Smithsonian museums nearly everyweek. I thought that working in a museumwould be a lot of fun, and incredibly reward-ing. But by then, I was six months awayfrom graduation and knew that being anews producer was my path.

Fast forward to October 2013, and Ifound myself applying to become a full-timemember of the McFaddin-Ward Houseteam as public relations coordinator.Thankfully, I got the job and began inDecember. In fact, my first day was the daythe staff installed the Christmas decorationsin the house. Talk about a nice start!

Working here has been a huge learningexperience, but one that I feel incredibly

lucky to have. With my degree in mass com-munications, I was exposed to some aspectsof the field of public relations. But otherthan a strictly volunteer role, I had no expe-rience in the museum world.

I believe, in general, that museums arean important part of society and our culture.And I believe, in particular, that the

McFaddin-Ward House is an integral part ofthe story of southeast Texas and that it con-tinues to play an important role today, in2014.

I’m so excited to begin this next chap-ter of my career, and spread the word of theMcFaddin-Ward House across the state andbeyond.

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Mamie and Carroll enjoy a meal in LosAngeles.

Marcus Powers, second from right, and Karen Chapman, right, celebrate their gradua-tion from the docent program with Sam Daleo and Becky Fertitta in October 2013.

SustenanceContinued from page 5

Coming full circle at McFaddin-Ward House

BY ARLENE CHRISTIANSEN

Every year, the McFaddin-Ward Houselines up a variety of speakers and programs.This year, we’ve scheduled some exceptionalprograms for our lecture series; we hope youwill be as excited about them as we are.

We began our series on January 30 with afascinating talk, “Fakes and Forgeries in theArt Market,” presented by Meredith Meuwly,director of appraisal services at HeritageAuctions in Dallas. Ms. Meuwly, who hasappeared on Antiques Road Show, spokeabout the many types of falsifications thatoccur throughout the art world. Over 90guests enjoyed the program.

To highlight our 2014 interpretivetheme, “Beyond Sustenance: Feast andFellowship,” we have lined up two related pre-sentations just a week apart. What comple-ments food better than wine? On Thursday,May 1, Perry McFaddin Clark, great-greatgrandson of W.P.H. and Ida McFaddin, willpresent “Amizetta Vineyards: From Barrel toBottle,” and tell us about wine making at theAmizetta Vineyards in Napa Valley,California.

Perry’s parents, Amizetta and SpencerClark, started Amizetta Vineyards in 1979 ona steep hillside at Howell Mountain near St.Helena, California. Since then, the state hasstopped hillside development, makingAmizetta Vineyards one of the few remainingterraced hillside vineyards in the valley. Thistype of farming produces rare old-world moun-tain fruit, which in turn has resulted in award-winning wines, including gold awards for thevineyard’s cabernets. There will be a samplingof the wines at the conclusion of the lecture.

On Thursday, May 8, we will take a his-toric look at growing food with “Thomas

Jefferson’s Revolutionary Garden,” a presenta-tion given by Peter Hatch, Director ofGardens and Grounds Emeritus for theThomas Jefferson Foundation. He will bespeaking on his vast knowledge of Thomas

Jefferson, Monticello, and the history of gar-den plants and trees.

From 1977 to 2012, Mr. Hatch wasresponsible for the maintenance, interpreta-tion and restoration of the 2,400-acre land-scape at Monticello. He is also the author offour books on the gardens at Monticello,including his latest work, “A Rich Spot ofEarth: Thomas Jefferson’s RevolutionaryGarden at Monticello.” His 38 years of expe-rience with historic landscapes should resultin a fascinating presentation.

We are greatly looking forward to both ofthese programs and hope that you will join usfor them.

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Museum presents special lecture series for 2014

Perry McFaddin Clark, left,great-great grandson ofW.P.H. and Ida McFaddin,will present “AmizettaVineyards: From Barrel toBottle,” and Peter Hatch, right,Director of Gardens andGrounds Emeritus for theThomas Jefferson Foundation,will talk about “ThomasJefferson’s RevolutionaryGarden,” as part of the muse-um’s 2014 lecture series.

Viewpoints from

By BECKY FERTITTA

The month of January wasquiet and still at the McFaddin-Ward House Visitor Center —as far as tours were concerned.Exhaustion from the Christmasseason, along with the coldweather, combined to keeplocal folks at home. We didbegin to see the “Snow Birds”fly in. These are the visitorswho head south trying toescape the real winter weatherup north. Boy, did they get itwrong this winter! However,slow times for guided tours doesnot necessarily translate intoslow times for the volunteers.

The new year means cele-bration time for our volunteers,beginning with the adultVolunteer AppreciationBanquet in late January. Over60 ladies and gentlemen bravedthe still-icy weather to attendthe luncheon where a scrump-tious meal was served, awardswere handed out (see photos)and a new slate of VolunteerService Council officers waselected for 2014: Peggy Ducote,president; Lyndia King, presi-dent-elect; social/hospitalitychair Joan Madigan;social/hospitality co-chair,Teresa Orr; education chair, LisaHitt; and education co-chair,Linda Martin. Gloria Ayres willcontinue on the board in anadvisory capacity as past-presi-dent.

Junior Interpreters had adifferent sort of AppreciationBanquet, because they also hadtour duty! February 1, the first JIGuide Day of 2014, turned outto be pretty slow in the tourdepartment; but the JIs in atten-dance had a delicious meal anda special tour of our reserve col-lection.

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Junior Interpreters Christina Abel, left, Karah Jackson, Julianne Haidusek, Majesti Lee andDenavia Barabin had an opportunity to see the museum’s reserve collection.

Karah Jacksonreceives a Certificateof Appreciation fromvolunteer coordina-tor Becky Fertitta.

Julianne Haidusek,left, and Swann

Nance wererecognized forvolunteering.

the Visitor Center

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GloriaAyres,left, andPriscillaRousereceived aspecialgift foramassing500 hours.

SarahGerstenberg,left, andDoloresBelton,right,receivedmuseumservice pinsfor working125 hoursat themuseum.

Volunteers Janie Trussell, left, Fran Eidom, Alfrieda Koehnen,and Marcie Kibler.

McFaddin-Ward House volunteers Billie Osborn, left, Frances Ramsey, Jerry Melancon, Don Benton, Madlyn Benton and BarbaraSmith.

2014 presi-dent PeggyDucote, left,and GloriaAyres sharea lightmoment atthe podiumduring theVolunteerAppreciationBanquet.

Events Calendar

Thursday, April 24Spring Community Picnic

5:30 p.m.

Thursday, May 1Amizetta Vineyards: From Barrel to Bottle

6:30 p.m.

Thursday, May 8Thomas Jefferson’s Revolutionary Garden

6:30 p.m.

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McFADDIN-WARDHOUSE

Historic House Museum725 North Third StreetBEAUMONT, TEXAS

77701-1629Return Service Requested

Vol. 30, No. 2March 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 center

www.mcfaddin-ward.org2013 Press Club of Southeast Texas

Excellence in Media Award winner for Best Newsletter

Volunteer Calendar

Monday, March 24Volunteer Day Trip

Saturday, March 29Junior Interpreter Guide Day

10 a.m. to 4 p.m.Visitor Center

Monday, April 14Volunteer Service Council

General Meeting

Monday & Tuesday,April 21 & 22

Volunteer Bus Trip

Monday, May 19Volunteer Book Club

NoonLecture Hall

Wednesday, May 21Volunteer Exhibit Preview

10 a.m. and 6:30 p.m.Visitor Center

Saturday, May 31Junior Interpreter Guide Day

10 a.m. to 4 p.m.Visitor Center

IEWPOINTMcFADDIN-WARD HOUSEV S

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PAIDBEAUMONT, TXPERMIT NO. 271

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