The McFaddin-Ward House Historic Museum

First here attended a guided tour on 5 Aug. The tour was very informative and interesting. Her name is Renee. The gardens of the mansion are beautiful. The town of Beaumont is a a quiet and peaceful place. Personnel suggested to come back again during the Christmas holidays since the mansion will be decorated so pretty, and they will have activities for the kids. The event will be Dec 6 & 7. I am planning to take my grandchildren.

I went on teacher appreciation day. The experience was very nice. We were able to tour the first floor only, but that was enough to realize that you should go back later to tour the entire home. There is so much history in the home. The photos and the stories behind them were very informative. It's a good place to bring your students for a history class.

My husband and I came to Beaumont for the weekend as a quick getaway just for the museums. The McFaddin-Ward House far exceeded our expectations! We called ahead to reserve a docent-led tour. When we arrived we were greeted warmly by the employees and had time to look at the exhibits in the visitors center while we waited for the rest of the tour group. The tour started with a short video about the family. Then we headed to the main house for the tour. Kent was our guide. He was friendly and knowledgeable... he brought the family to life as we wound our way through the home and grounds providing a fascinating glimpse into the life of the very wealthy of the time. We wrapped up our visit with a tour of the Carriage House and the displays about the loyal servants that worked for the family. The entire experience is free (they wouldn't even accept donations or tips!) and rivals similar historic home tours that can be pricey. Plan to spend at least two hours to enjoy the full experience.

This is a very nice museum. You definitely want to call ahead and get a guided tour. There is so much to see and so much history . Highly recommend.

My favorite place to time travel. Awesome volunteers who give all the information and let you ask questions. Those ladies are fantastic. The place is fabulous. I live close by and I go there frequently. Check out the times. Plenty parking. Call to find out when they have those guided tours

I went to see this house on a whim and was fortunate enough to be the only one there on a Saturday morning. I had my own personal docent Rhonda (I believe) who was so sweet and very knowledgeable. I highly recommend seeing this house. It was fascinating and beautiful!

If you want a location that shares history in the most beautiful way, then this is the spot to visit. Not only does it share history, but it's like taking a trip back in time. The staff personnel are super friendly and very knowledgeable. This is one of my favorite places to visit and have done multiple times.

You need to go visit the McFaddin-Ward House and Carriage House Museum in Beaumont. The work in restoring the house and carriage to its beauty is amazing. From the times in 1907 when they first moved in, and to the days it became a National Historical Place of history is amazing. The McFaddin-Ward families retained many of their purchase receipts and records as they were often making updates and storing the older items in the attic. This ultimately has a treasure of the updates with some of the first lighting, firehoses, and phonographes that were way ahead of their time. They gave back to the City of Beaumont in many ways.

I'm glad that I stop by this museum while traveling over Texas. The staffs are super friendly and are very helpful and the visiting to the museum is free. A lot of thing to see inside the museum.

Texas version of Downton Abbey? I visited this museum with my two children and was very impressed with the house and also with the history of the family. The styling of the rooms and the stories of the McFaddin's made the house come to life. I was pulled back into that era. We also walked through the coach house where their extravagant cook and other staff members lived. Walking through it again reminded me of the Downton Abbey series. Would highly recommend this tour.

It was a cool experience to see a bit of Beaumont's history! I called them and a happily pleasant woman, by the name of Priscilla, answered. She took our reservation by phone and 2 hours later we showed up for their guided tour. Easy process and only cost $5 per person, as an entrance fee. I think that it was reasonable, since we did get a wonderful guide to show us around and explain everything in detail. They started us off by showing a DVD introduction presentation. It only lasted a few minutes. Then, we were off to see the home. You follow the carpeted trail, as your guide stays behind you to monitor everything. There were 3 floors and with each one, you get more leisurely space to look around in detail. Once we finished with that, we had a self-guided tour of the homes' carriage house (2 floors). I'm not going to get into specifics because I don't want to ruin it for anyone who is reading this. Overall, we had a great time. Cons: -Would have been nice to get a guided tour of the carriage house as well. It's not the same, reading from a ready-made booklet and not being able to ask questions. -Our reservation was made for 2:30pm, yet we were rushed out of there by 4:00pm and it was not enough time to explore the entire property. The tour itself took at least 1 full hour. -Bring your camera but note that you're not allowed taking pictures of the inside of the house (only the outside). Recommendations: -After seeing the beautiful photos online, I thought there would be blooming flowers all year 'round but I highly suggest going in the SPRING or SUMMER, when there will be an abundance of fresh flowers everywhere! -If you like taking your time, make sure to BOOK an EARLIER tour of the day. -There's an age restriction for kids so make sure yours qualify before you get there.

i first visited the McFaddin-Ward House as a part of a grade-school field trip and it never really left me. Upon returning as an adult (some 20 years later) I found it still enchanting and wondrous as I remember. The guided tours are just a few dollars and a short, informative film is shown beforehand. Generally, these types of films can be boring, but the context it provides on the lives of the McFaddin and Ward families during the oil boom really helps to round out the experience. The grounds are gorgeous, especially in spring when the azaleas are in full bloom. There is also a lively and refreshing herb garden and a massive fallen tree whose roots are still intact enough for it to continue growing horizontally along the ground. It's an impressive sight! The tour moves through the front of the home around through the first floor where you'll encounter my favorite room. The family's 'casual' dining area and conservatory is lit by soft green light pouring out of hand-crafted stain glass, detailed tapestries wind around the top of the room and lamps made of glass grapes drip from the ceiling. I could really spend all day in that one room! The tour continues upstairs through bedrooms and bathrooms that show more clearly what the family's daily lives were like. The quaint sink fixtures make a interesting contrast with the opulent oriental wood carved furniture. On the third floor, the sons' rooms, dad's office and a lounge with pool table can be seen. Check out the leather fringe on the bottoms of the chairs in the pool lounge and the house's second working Victrola. Fun fact, this area also has only a single electrical outlet! Back down and out of the house you're welcome to continue on to the carriage house where you will see servants' quarters and some of the ranching / sports / carriage gear that the family used day-to-day. All in all It's really a treasure in your own backyard kind of experience, not only for visitors to the area - I think locals should visit too! And check out their facebook page too for info on free movie nights and free tour days!

The McFadden Ward House is one of the most majestic old homes in Texas. It has beautiful grounds with a beautiful rose garden, azalea bushes and old oak trees. This is one of the few places I've ever been that actually had furniture and dishes and all from the family that built the house and lived in it until it became a museum! Absolute mUst see if you are in Beaumont or the surrounding area.

Very interesting house. High and luxury standards shows you how he rich people used to live .

Absolutely gorgeous house! One of the best home tours I have been on, EVER! This is a must-see when you visit Beaumont!

What a gem of a historical and cultural treasure here in downtown Beaumont! We were in the area for a week, and stopped by for their holiday open house (on the recommendation of a local we met), and loved it so much we just had to come back for the full tour, which is worth it...make a reservation (as they often fill up and only do small groups) and you will not be disappointed. A LOT of care and attention to detail have gone into its restoration, and the passion of the staff shows. It's an awesome step back in time to a special time and place in history...highly recommended!

Great House Tour! The McFaddin-Ward House Museum is something very special to the Beaumont area. The history is rich and the past owner were seemingly very philanthropic people. My husband and I went to the Bullock Museum in Austin Texas and it was there that we discovered, in the History of oil in Texas, a few amazing featured pieces from this beautiful historical house. We ended up in Village Creek State Park and found the people and the area so very warm and charming. We went to the house on a free Saturday tour during Dec. and the house was decorated for Christmas. We had such a warm welcome from the folks and children working there. The tour only consisted of the downstairs and carriage House (servants Quarters) but were very intrigued by its rich history, we longed to see more of it ...We had so many questions. On our way out a docent there took the time to answer some of our questions, for she was very friendly and gave us so many great ideas for our continuing road trip and invited us back to see the rest of the house. It was closed on Sun.-Mon. but we made reservations, which is a good idea as they only take small groups through the house, for Tues. and went back to tour the other 2 floors of the house. Boy, we were sure glad that we did!!! It is amazing and the top floor is spectacular! The house is full of many amazing art/furniture/wall coverings, rugs, etc. and it is exactly the way it was left, preserved beautifully! We especially enjoyed learning about all the characters that lived in the house in fact the main made lived there up until 1986, I believe it was. This place really gives you the feeling of stepping back in the time period it is a truly fantastic experience. If you are in the area it is a must do!

This historic house is well worth the visit. The docents are great - informed and (not too) enthusiastic. The interiors are Oil Baron grand - the morning room is fantastic stained glass.