Mamie and Carroll shared this room from the time they married in 1919 until his death in the early 1960s. Mamie decided change was needed in 1940 resulting in a flood of pink, her favorite color. The remodel included installing drawers and cabinets in the walk in closet and a full bathroom make over, consistent with mid century decorating trends.
Floor 2
Second floor of the McFaddin-Ward House Museum
Pink BedroomGeneral Audience
Mamie Louise McFaddin Ward (1895–1982)
Mamie was born on November 5, 1895 to parents Ida and William Perry Herring (W.P.H.) McFaddin in Beaumont, Texas. She was the first of their three children together.
She attended Belle Austin Institute in Beaumont for primary school and Gunston Hall in Washington, D.C. for finishing school, graduating in 1912. She began dating Carroll Ward, the son of a local prosperous business owner in 1913. Her parents did not approve of this union, concerned about Carroll’s wild reputation. But Mamie won that battle, finally marrying Carroll only two months after the close of his military service in 1919. The happy couple was officially wed on May 21, 1919 in the McFaddin home. The two were married until his death in 1961.
Mamie chose to stay in her family’s home after her marriage, an unusual choice for most brides of the time. Her mother relinquished much of the house management responsibilities to Mamie upon her marriage. Mamie took her jobs as home manager, wife, and philanthropist very seriously over the years.
Mamie McFaddin Ward inherited a considerable fortune from her parents’ various revenue streams upon their passing. At a young age she began a lifelong commitment to supporting various charities and the arts. She served for more than forty years on the board of the Beaumont Children's Home, was a founding donor to the Beaumont Art Museum, and the Beaumont Heritage Society. Mamie gave generous donations to health services, including an endowment for thirty yearly health-services scholarships at Lamar University. She donated funds for The Mamie McFaddin Ward Health Sciences Building at Lamar University; the Mamie McFaddin Ward Cancer Center at St. Elizabeth Hospital, Beaumont; and the Mamie McFaddin Ward Biocommunications Research Laboratory at the Texas Heart Institute, Houston.
Ward established the Mamie McFaddin Ward Heritage Foundation to maintain her beloved home as a museum, now known as the McFaddin-Ward House. The foundation also provides grants for other projects in health, education, historic preservation, and the arts in the Beaumont area. Other philanthropic acts included the gift of several buildings to All Saints Episcopal School, the gift of a parking lot and meditation garden to St. Mark's Episcopal Church, Beaumont, and the gift of a diorama to the Alamo long barracks in San Antonio. She also made gifts to the Spindletop Museum in Beaumont, the Huntington Art Museum and Trinity Church in Huntington, West Virginia, and the Episcopal Diocese of West Virginia.
Ward was a member of the Daughters of the Republic of Texas, the Texas Gulf Coast Historical Association, the Daughters of the American Revolution, the National Society of Colonial Dames of America, the Kappa Delta Sorority, the Magnolia Garden Club, the Beaumont Art Museum, and the Beaumont Heritage Society. She was the recipient of the Exchange Club of Beaumont Golden Deeds award in 1981. She died in her home in Beaumont on October 24, 1982, and was buried at Magnolia Cemetery, Beaumont.
About the Object:
The hand painted portrait of Mamie McFaddin Ward is located in the Pink Bedroom. It was painted by Louise Alston, of New York in 1978. The portrait was commissioned by Mamie McFaddin Ward, a photograph serving as inspiration.
About the Artist:
Louise Altson (1910-2010) was hired by Mamie McFaddin Ward to paint many of the portraits found throughout the McFaddin-Ward House. Mamie hosted the artist in Beaumont for a tea reception then traveled with her to Houston in the 1960s or 1970s. Altson, born in Belgium, began her career as an artist at age twelve. She studied in both Europe then emigrated to the United States in 1939, settling in New York City. Over the course of long career she illustrated children’s books, comic books, and magazines. She also painted for President George W. and Barbara Bush, Tommy Dorsey, the DuPont family, and the Woolworth family.
General Audience Tour
Mamie Louise McFaddin Ward (1895–1982)
Mamie was born on November 5, 1895 to parents Ida and William Perry Herring (W.P.H.) McFaddin in Beaumont, Texas. She was the first of their three children together.
She attended Belle Austin Institute in Beaumont for primary school and Gunston Hall in Washington, D.C. for finishing school, graduating in 1912. She began dating Carroll Ward, the son of a local prosperous business owner in 1913. Her parents did not approve of this union, concerned about Carroll’s wild reputation. But Mamie won that battle, finally marrying Carroll only two months after the close of his military service in 1919. The happy couple was officially wed on May 21, 1919 in the McFaddin home. The two were married until his death in 1961.
Mamie chose to stay in her family’s home after her marriage, an unusual choice for most brides of the time. Her mother relinquished much of the house management responsibilities to Mamie upon her marriage. Mamie took her jobs as home manager, wife, and philanthropist very seriously over the years.
Mamie McFaddin Ward inherited a considerable fortune from her parents’ various revenue streams upon their passing. At a young age she began a lifelong commitment to supporting various charities and the arts. She served for more than forty years on the board of the Beaumont Children's Home, was a founding donor to the Beaumont Art Museum, and the Beaumont Heritage Society. Mamie gave generous donations to health services, including an endowment for thirty yearly health-services scholarships at Lamar University. She donated funds for The Mamie McFaddin Ward Health Sciences Building at Lamar University; the Mamie McFaddin Ward Cancer Center at St. Elizabeth Hospital, Beaumont; and the Mamie McFaddin Ward Biocommunications Research Laboratory at the Texas Heart Institute, Houston.
Ward established the Mamie McFaddin Ward Heritage Foundation to maintain her beloved home as a museum, now known as the McFaddin-Ward House. The foundation also provides grants for other projects in health, education, historic preservation, and the arts in the Beaumont area. Other philanthropic acts included the gift of several buildings to All Saints Episcopal School, the gift of a parking lot and meditation garden to St. Mark's Episcopal Church, Beaumont, and the gift of a diorama to the Alamo long barracks in San Antonio. She also made gifts to the Spindletop Museum in Beaumont, the Huntington Art Museum and Trinity Church in Huntington, West Virginia, and the Episcopal Diocese of West Virginia.
Ward was a member of the Daughters of the Republic of Texas, the Texas Gulf Coast Historical Association, the Daughters of the American Revolution, the National Society of Colonial Dames of America, the Kappa Delta Sorority, the Magnolia Garden Club, the Beaumont Art Museum, and the Beaumont Heritage Society. She was the recipient of the Exchange Club of Beaumont Golden Deeds award in 1981. She died in her home in Beaumont on October 24, 1982, and was buried at Magnolia Cemetery, Beaumont.
About the Object:
The hand painted portrait of Mamie McFaddin Ward is located in the Pink Bedroom. It was painted by Louise Alston, of New York in 1978. The portrait was commissioned by Mamie McFaddin Ward, a photograph serving as inspiration.
About the Artist:
Louise Altson (1910-2010) was hired by Mamie McFaddin Ward to paint many of the portraits found throughout the McFaddin-Ward House. Mamie hosted the artist in Beaumont for a tea reception then traveled with her to Houston in the 1960s or 1970s. Altson, born in Belgium, began her career as an artist at age twelve. She studied in both Europe then emigrated to the United States in 1939, settling in New York City. Over the course of long career she illustrated children’s books, comic books, and magazines. She also painted for President George W. and Barbara Bush, Tommy Dorsey, the DuPont family, and the Woolworth family.
The Pink Bedroom, though shared with her husband Carroll Ward, was Mamie’s personal space following their marriage in 1919. The room represents her own decorative tastes and styles, especially her love of pink, and would have been the space where most aspects of her daily life took place. In the McFaddin-Ward House’s interpretation, the vanity is set with some of Mamie’s favorite cosmetics, such as her bottle of Chanel No. 5 perfume. As a Beaumont socialite frequently seen within the community, Mamie always had to look her best, and she rarely deviated from her signature look.
The ladies of the house had specific morning routines which they followed daily, reportedly “they bathed and began their facial routine, which consisted of washing with a cleansing cream followed by patting the cheeks with a padded wand to prevent wrinkles and increase circulation. A stringent was then applied and followed by ice to close the pores. Foundation cream, rouge, and powder completed the ritual. Both women were reported to have had beautiful skin, much younger looking than their chronological ages.â€
About the object:
Mamie’s walnut dressing ca. 1860 dressing table was purchased from the Royal Co. in New Orleans. The walnut and silvered glass mirror is believed to be ca. 1920s.
General Audience Tour
The Pink Bedroom, though shared with her husband Carroll Ward, was Mamie’s personal space following their marriage in 1919. The room represents her own decorative tastes and styles, especially her love of pink, and would have been the space where most aspects of her daily life took place. In the McFaddin-Ward House’s interpretation, the vanity is set with some of Mamie’s favorite cosmetics, such as her bottle of Chanel No. 5 perfume. As a Beaumont socialite frequently seen within the community, Mamie always had to look her best, and she rarely deviated from her signature look.
The ladies of the house had specific morning routines which they followed daily, reportedly “they bathed and began their facial routine, which consisted of washing with a cleansing cream followed by patting the cheeks with a padded wand to prevent wrinkles and increase circulation. A stringent was then applied and followed by ice to close the pores. Foundation cream, rouge, and powder completed the ritual. Both women were reported to have had beautiful skin, much younger looking than their chronological ages.â€
About the object:
Mamie’s walnut dressing ca. 1860 dressing table was purchased from the Royal Co. in New Orleans. The walnut and silvered glass mirror is believed to be ca. 1920s.
Carroll E. Ward (1891 - 1961)
Carroll Ward was the son of John C. and Belle Carroll Ward, a prosperous family living in Beaumont. Carroll was the seventh of eleven children. He was born in San Antonio but raised in Beaumont. Reportedly, he witnessed the Lucas gusher event at Spindletop on January 10, 1901.
Ward was a gifted athlete, quick and tenacious. He played football at Baylor University in 1907 and then Texas A&M from 1909 to 1910. While at Texas A&M he was chosen for the 1909 all conference team and later named as one of the school’s all-time great left ends. The moniker “Doggie,†was assigned during his college days.
After college, Carroll returned to Beaumont to work for the family ranching, rice, and ice enterprises. The world quickly changed as World War I raged in Europe, eventually drawing in the United States to the conflict in 1917. Carroll joined the Army, training as a pilot, but wasn’t deployed overseas. Within two months of his discharge from the military in 1919, he and Mamie married on May 21, 1919. Initially, the McFaddins did not support the union, concerned about Ward’s wild reputation. However, the relented and the happy couple was married in the Pink Parlor of the McFaddin home.
After the honeymoon, Carroll returned to his family businesses, including the Texas Ice Company. While there he started a hockey team, the Rangers, who played from 1939 - 1947. Ward, like W.P.H. worked as a rancher, as his family owned both the Ward and LaBelle ranches.
Carroll Ward was a fixture in Beaumont society, a member of the St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, Rotary Club, Texas A&M Club, Beaumont Country Club, Town Club, and Beaumont Club.
About the Object:
The painted portrait of Carroll E. Ward is located in the Pink Bedroom. It was painted by Louise Alston, of New York in 1963. The portrait was commissioned by Mamie McFaddin Ward, a photograph serving as inspiration, to honor her late husband.
About the Artist:
Louise Altson (1910-2010) was hired by Mamie McFaddin Ward to paint many of the portraits found throughout the McFaddin-Ward House. Mamie hosted the artist in Beaumont for a tea reception then traveled with her to Houston in the 1960s or 1970s. Altson, born in Belgium, began her career as an artist at age twelve. She studied in both Europe then emigrated to the United States in 1939, settling in New York City. Over the course of long career she illustrated children’s books, comic books, and magazines. She also painted for President George W. and Barbara Bush, Tommy Dorsey, the DuPont family, and the Woolworth family.
General Audience Tour
Carroll E. Ward (1891 - 1961)
Carroll Ward was the son of John C. and Belle Carroll Ward, a prosperous family living in Beaumont. Carroll was the seventh of eleven children. He was born in San Antonio but raised in Beaumont. Reportedly, he witnessed the Lucas gusher event at Spindletop on January 10, 1901.
Ward was a gifted athlete, quick and tenacious. He played football at Baylor University in 1907 and then Texas A&M from 1909 to 1910. While at Texas A&M he was chosen for the 1909 all conference team and later named as one of the school’s all-time great left ends. The moniker “Doggie,†was assigned during his college days.
After college, Carroll returned to Beaumont to work for the family ranching, rice, and ice enterprises. The world quickly changed as World War I raged in Europe, eventually drawing in the United States to the conflict in 1917. Carroll joined the Army, training as a pilot, but wasn’t deployed overseas. Within two months of his discharge from the military in 1919, he and Mamie married on May 21, 1919. Initially, the McFaddins did not support the union, concerned about Ward’s wild reputation. However, the relented and the happy couple was married in the Pink Parlor of the McFaddin home.
After the honeymoon, Carroll returned to his family businesses, including the Texas Ice Company. While there he started a hockey team, the Rangers, who played from 1939 - 1947. Ward, like W.P.H. worked as a rancher, as his family owned both the Ward and LaBelle ranches.
Carroll Ward was a fixture in Beaumont society, a member of the St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, Rotary Club, Texas A&M Club, Beaumont Country Club, Town Club, and Beaumont Club.
About the Object:
The painted portrait of Carroll E. Ward is located in the Pink Bedroom. It was painted by Louise Alston, of New York in 1963. The portrait was commissioned by Mamie McFaddin Ward, a photograph serving as inspiration, to honor her late husband.
About the Artist:
Louise Altson (1910-2010) was hired by Mamie McFaddin Ward to paint many of the portraits found throughout the McFaddin-Ward House. Mamie hosted the artist in Beaumont for a tea reception then traveled with her to Houston in the 1960s or 1970s. Altson, born in Belgium, began her career as an artist at age twelve. She studied in both Europe then emigrated to the United States in 1939, settling in New York City. Over the course of long career she illustrated children’s books, comic books, and magazines. She also painted for President George W. and Barbara Bush, Tommy Dorsey, the DuPont family, and the Woolworth family.
Mamie and Carroll’s private bathroom was remodeled in the 1940s to include the pink tile and updated fixtures, for the time.
General Audience Tour
Mamie and Carroll’s private bathroom was remodeled in the 1940s to include the pink tile and updated fixtures, for the time.
The walk in closet is located within the Pink Bedroom. It may seem small for two people. Clothes were rotated out seasonally by the staff. The doors on the drawers and cabinets protect the linens from dust and light.
General Audience Tour
The walk in closet is located within the Pink Bedroom. It may seem small for two people. Clothes were rotated out seasonally by the staff. The doors on the drawers and cabinets protect the linens from dust and light.
Unlike the Primary Bedroom, the Pink Bedroom has two twin beds used by Mamie and her husband Carroll. While we do not know the true nature of their decision to sleep in separate beds, the idea of separate sleeping spaces for couples was a broadly emerging trend in the early-to-mid 20th century based on changing societal norms for men and women. Having two separate beds was said to be a healthier option to prevent the spread of germs, especially during the post-war 1918 flu pandemic, and was seen as a way for modern couples to preserve their privacy and bodily autonomy while still sharing the same space. This way of thinking began to lose popularity as the 1960s approached, and by then Mamie and Carroll had been married for almost 40 years.
About the Object:
The ca. 1934 mahogany twin beds were purchased by Mamie from the Royal Co. in New Orleans. The carvings on the headboards and footboards were added later, based on Mamie’s designs.
General Audience Tour
Unlike the Primary Bedroom, the Pink Bedroom has two twin beds used by Mamie and her husband Carroll. While we do not know the true nature of their decision to sleep in separate beds, the idea of separate sleeping spaces for couples was a broadly emerging trend in the early-to-mid 20th century based on changing societal norms for men and women. Having two separate beds was said to be a healthier option to prevent the spread of germs, especially during the post-war 1918 flu pandemic, and was seen as a way for modern couples to preserve their privacy and bodily autonomy while still sharing the same space. This way of thinking began to lose popularity as the 1960s approached, and by then Mamie and Carroll had been married for almost 40 years.
About the Object:
The ca. 1934 mahogany twin beds were purchased by Mamie from the Royal Co. in New Orleans. The carvings on the headboards and footboards were added later, based on Mamie’s designs.
Pink Bedroom
