08/27/2026
🌟 Docent Spotlight: Candace LeMasters 🌟
This month, we're excited to shine the spotlight on Candace LeMasters, one of our dedicated docent tour guides at the McFaddin-Ward House Museum.
As an administrator with Beaumont ISD, Candace became involved with the Museum while volunteering during the annual field trips that BISD seventh graders take to the McFaddin-Ward House. She says she loved the experience so much that she signed up to become a docent and has been serving since September 2024.
Candance had actually been introduced to the McFaddin-Ward House years earlier. She explained, “My first ‘big girl’ job after college, having graduated with a history degree, was working as a historical researcher for the McFaddin-Ward House. The house was undergoing the initial massive restoration at the time, so I never actually had the opportunity to go inside. Years later, when I finally stepped through the doors with our students, I fell in love with that grand old lady immediately.”
🌟 What do you enjoy most about being a docent?
“What I enjoy most is meeting the people who come to see the house. Our visitors literally come from all over the world, and many of them have really done their homework when it comes to historic homes. I love hearing their stories, learning where they are from, and sharing the McFaddin-Ward House with people who are just as fascinated by history as I am.”
🌟 What is your favorite space in the house?
“One of my guests once pointed out that apparently every room is my favorite—and they may have been right! But if I have to choose, my most favorite is the third floor. I especially love the fact that you can still see roller-skate tracks up there. As the mother of four now adult children, three of whom are boys, I can appreciate that Ida [McFaddin] let the ‘boys be boys.’ Those little details make the family feel real and remind us that this beautiful historic house was also very much a home.”
🌟 Is there a special story that you like to share with visitors?
“One thing I love telling visitors is that if I could go back in time and meet anyone in history, it would be the family cook, Louis Lemon. I absolutely love his salty personality! Although, knowing Louis through the stories told about him, I probably would have been one of the first people he chased out of his kitchen!”
We're so fortunate to have Candace as part of our team, helping to make each tour special for our visitors! 💚💚💚
Want to get involved? We are currently accepting applications for new docents. Visit mcfaddin-ward.org/about/get-involved to learn more and submit an application.
