Research...Research...and More Research!

This week, I have worked with a lot of the sources held by the McFaddin-Ward House. These items include Mamie and Ida’s letters, journals, and a great number of the McFaddins’ family photos. This has been a really good experience that has allowed me to gain precious skills that relate to museum work, but it has also allowed me to get to know this prominent family. Furthermore, working in the museum’s archives has also allowed me to take a more human view of historical events that I had previously only studied in books.

While the McFaddin-Ward House is a virtual treasure trove of information on the McFaddin family and the city of Beaumont, I have also had the privilege to work in several other wonderful places. The Gray Library at Lamar University has been indispensable to me in terms of placing the McFaddins and their war experience in a more global context.

One of the best places in Jefferson County to conduct academic and personal research is the Tyrrell Historical Library in downtown Beaumont. This library holds many genealogical records, which can be used to track a person’s movements and activities. For example, the Tyrrell has recently come into possession of seventy-six letters from Mr. Tom Woods, who served on the Western Front and as a part of the American Army of Occupation. Tom’s letters display a more human side of the tragedy of the First World War, ranging from constant bombardment by German guns to cases of “Shell Shock,” which was an early name for PTSD. We also see his desire for home-knitted clothing like sweaters and socks, which were quite common requests from frontline soldiers during this conflict. 

The scope of the Tyrrell’s holdings, along with those of the McFaddin-Ward House and Lamar, makes all of them invaluable sources for research and enjoyment for both professional academics and history buffs.



A graduation roster and final examination for Red Cross membership administered by Mrs. WPH McFaddin in 1918.

Not In School Anymore

I was thrilled to get the experience of composing a project proposal yesterday. You may have noticed my intense interest in war history. After spending some time in the McFaddin-Ward House Museum archives, I was able to compile research on the McFaddins’ contributions to war and thought it would make an interesting exhibit. Part of my duties as an intern at the museum include researching and planning an exhibit for public display. I was thrilled I had come up with an idea that fit with my interest!
 

I set up an meeting with Judy Linsley, Curator of Interpretation and Education to propose the idea. She thought it would make an interesting exhibit and asked me to compose a project proposal to see if it would work with the amount of time I had left in my internship, what the costs of the projects would be, and if I had the time to devote with my other duties. (I am also in charge of assisting with collections inventory, education programming, and other research projects.) She also set up a meeting with the museum director to propose my secondary idea: to expand the exhibit to include a display in the carriage house, which would include a simulation of a war trench so visitors to the museum could see what it was like for a soldier in these extreme environments.

 

Composing the proposal was a great exercise and experience for me. I had grand ideas and plans, but after seeing just how much time I had to devote to the project and realizing how much it would cost, I had to rethink my plan and scale back. I will still be able to employ aspects of the original plan, but I look forward to the challenge of curating two exhibits—something that has not been done by any of my intern predecessors.

 

The project has made me value the internship even more by realizing I was not able to gain valuable real-world experience in the classroom. My projects in college did not prepare me for the realities of financial and time restraints, so I was glad to have this experience. Though I wanted to pull out all the stops with this exhibit, I realized that I can still have a good, educational display to share the personal stories of those who contributed to the war effort.

 

 

I have learned to make do with what I have from my internship, as the gentlemen in this humorous take on flight practice did.

 

 

 

Anchors Aweigh!

For the last couple of weeks, I have been working to construct a two-part exhibit on Beaumont’s and the McFaddins’ contributions to World War I. I look forward to the exhibit opening the first week of August and seeing the whole project put together. I have learned a great deal while doing my research and how much Beaumont and Texas sacrificed to help win the war.

 

I was amazed to learn that during the war, Texas mobilized over 128,000 men for service overseas, and Beaumont sent two National Guard companies to the newly-formed 36^th Infantry Division. They trained at Camp Bowie near Fort Worth, Texas. Also during this time, many enlistees from the surrounding area were assigned to the famous 90^th Division, which was largely composed of men from Texas and Oklahoma.  

 

Even civilians in Southeast Texas “did their bit” to help with the war effort. Beaumont was also a producer of food for the military and contributed rice, beef and other commodities. Many women and children helped by volunteering for war relief programs, such as for the Red Cross to roll bandages and assemble first aid kits.

 

One of the most interesting facts that I learned so far about Southeast Texas’ efforts has been that Beaumont had a major shipbuilding facility and was a major producer of fuel because of its proximity to massive oil deposits at Spindletop and the rest of the Gulf Coast. Even today, Beaumont remains an important refining center.

 

With my exhibit, I plan to showcase not just the men and women in uniform, but all those on the home front who contributed in so many important ways.

 

 

 A photograph of a newly constructed ship, the City of Beaumont, during its launch.