THE YEAR 2001 WILL FOCUS ON THE DECADE OF DISCOVERY, 1900-1909

The McFaddin-Ward House will focus on the decade from 1900-1909, the "decade of discovery," for its programming for 2001. The year 1900 brought a new century, which The New York Times called "a miraculous time." The old was giving way to the new. Queen Victoria died in 1901, signaling the end of the era that bore her name. The same year, President McKinley was assassinated, and his predecessor, Theodore Roosevelt, seemed to embody the country's strength, youth, and exuberance.

The first decade of the twentieth century abounded with new inventions, colorful figures, and history-making events. The Wright Brothers flew the first airplane. The medical profession conquered yellow fever and identified the malaria-carrying mosquito. Robert Peary and Matthew Henson reached the North Pole.

New and wonderful products appeared to appeal to consumers--Jergens Lotion, Quaker Oats, Royal typewriters, Planters Nuts, permanent waves, Trolley Vacs (Hoover cleaner), color photography, the oscillating fan.

Vaudeville dominated the entertainment world, though the "Great Train Robbery" and other silent moving pictures were attracting a growing audience. Houdini performed his famous escapes from chains, boxes, and water. Actresses Lily Langtry and Lillian Russell ruled the stage, and Russell redefined the "S-shape" silhouette with her voluptuous curves. Flo Ziegfeld opened his famous Follies in 1907. John Philip Sousa and his band toured the country, stirring audiences with his marches. In spite of criticism by proponents of classical music, ragtime and jazz, with their African-American roots, brought new sounds to listeners.

Book lovers had a wide choice of material during the decade, from O. Henry's wry short stories to Henry James' dark, psychological studies to Sinclair Lewis' chilling expose of the meat-packing industry--or even L. Frank Baum's Wizard of Oz. Spectator sports continued to grow in popularity, football joining baseball, boxing, and tennis as a favorite.

Exercise was promoted to ensure good health for women as well as men. In other areas, however, women were mostly encouraged to remain in traditional roles. The Independent magazine cited a medical report that mothers could harm their unborn children by being exposed to "political excitement."

It was also a time of great contrast, of the very, very rich and the very, very poor, of 50-room mansions and tenement slums. In Texas, it was a time of great disaster and discovery. In September 1900, a great storm destroyed Galveston, the state's commercial and financial center, and killed thousands. Only four months later, the little lumber town of Beaumont made history with the Lucas gusher and the resulting Spindletop oil field, which ushered in the petroleum age. The number of automobiles in the United States jumped from 8,000 in 1900 to nearly 128,000 in 1909.

W.P.H. and Ida McFaddin reared their young family in this decade. W.P.H. kept a close eye on his business interests which after 1901 included oil as well as rice, cattle, and land. Ida saw her three stepchildren married and took care of her own three children, all the while juggling her various civic and social activities. She also managed to keep up with the latest fashions, ordering her fine clothes from Madame Dunlevy in Cincinnati. Mamie, Perry Jr., and Caldwell spent a happy childhood; they attended local schools, then Mamie moved on to Gunston Hall, a finishing school for girls in Washington, D.C.

The decade also saw one of the most important events in McFaddin family history--the move from their home at 1316 Calder to the house at 1906 McFaddin Avenue. They moved in just in time for Ida and W.P.H. to host a musicale in March 1907. With that appropriate inauguration, the McFaddin's "palatial" home became the site of social occasions almost weekly.

The decade 1900-1909 is so rich in topics for programs, exhibits, and lectures, that 2001 promises to be an exciting and interesting year to plan multiple visits to the McFaddin-Ward House.

CALDWELL DIARY RECORDED EVENTS AT SPINDLETOP

The curatorial staff continues to uncover "new" information in the archives--most recently, interesting entries in a 1901 diary of James L. Caldwell, Ida McFaddin's father. The diary, labeled a "Standard Diary," contains the day of the week and the date in 1901 at the top of each page. Caldwell begins most of his entries with a weather report, such as "warm & pleasant" or "raining & cloudy."

The Lucas gusher came in on January 10, 1901. On January 13, Caldwell records that he is "at home preparing to go to Beaumont." On January 14, his entry reads, "I left on the 3:30 a.m. train over C&O [Chesapeake & Ohio Railroad] for Texas, on receipt from W.P.H. McFaddin of the big oil strike there. Got to Cincinnati at 8 a.m. Left on Queen & Crescent road for New Orleans."

Caldwell arrived at New Orleans at midnight on January 15th and took the Southern Pacific Railroad's night train for Beaumont. Arriving there at 8:00 the next morning, he went to his daughter's house, then rode on horseback to see the Lucas gusher. He described it as the "biggest oil well I ever saw. Going out of 6-inch casing 158 feet high--the oil I think is good."

January 17 he recorded the "big excitement--meet [sic] lots of oil men." He and W.P.H. McFaddin contacted oil men from Corsicana, Cincinnati, and St. Louis and began to form a company. Even after leaving Beaumont, Caldwell met with potential investors and businessmen. On Feb. 1 he wrote, "Concluded arrangements for McFaddin & Wiess & Kyle leases and agreed all around at $150,000 for them."

Caldwell and his wife, Mary, returned to Beaumont February 18 and on the 20th went out to the oil field, where he noted "13 riggs [sic] up at this time." On February 24, "At 12:02 midnight, Mrs. W.P.H. McFaddin's little boy, J.L.C. McFaddin, was born. Ida got along nicely. Dr. Cunningham and my wife was [sic] here."

The next day, Caldwell records the "First meeting of the McFaddin-Wiess Oil & Gas Co. stockholders" at the Cordova Hotel. Over the next few days, Caldwell and other stockholders "took carriages to look over the land" they planned to offer for sale or lease. The next day the organization of McFaddin & Wiess Oil & Gas Co. was completed.

On March 3, Caldwell rode out to the "horse ranch" with W.P.H. McFaddin "Sr. & Jr.", and noted that the "oil lake" was burning. "Grandest sight I ever saw," was his assessment of the conflagration. Soon after, he returned to Huntington, but didn't stay long. On April 4 he met the McFaddin-Wiess Oil & Gas Co. stockholders in Cincinnati, where he "signed 100 certificates of stock..."

On April 7, Caldwell returned to Beaumont for the first annual meeting of McFaddin-Wiess Oil and Gas Company, and with other investors, chartered a private car in New Orleans. At the meeting he was elected president and W.P.H. general manager. Stockholders hailed from Huntington, Cleveland, Covington Kentucky, Cincinnati, and Beaumont. While in Beaumont, Caldwell had a treat. "Big excitement--went to see the Big Gushers," he wrote on April 14. "The excitement and a large crowd. Sayed [sic] by old men never equaled by the wild excitements of 1849 [California gold rush] or the wild days of Oil City Pa. [Pennsylvania oil discoveries]" Two days later he wrote "excitement greater still, if possible." For three days his entry was a single word: "same."

Caldwell remained in Beaumont until May 6. On the way back to Huntington, he and his wife, who had been in Beaumont since their February visit to be with her daughter Ida, celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary with "the best dinner we could give on the train." On May 11, his last entry reads "at home again for about 1 month."

J.L. Caldwell's diary ends there. It is a dramatic first-person account which gives us a glimpse into life as it was one hundred years ago--what train travel was like, how language was used, and what people thought about the events of Spindletop as they unfolded.