Museums of Southeast Texas

The John J. French House Enterprise file photo The John J. French House Enterprise file photo Image 1 of / 133 Caption Close Museums of Southeast Texas 1 / 133 Back to Gallery

As a newly minted teenager, I toured the John Jay French House Museum. Some decades later, the only thing I recall from that school-sponsored excursion was that our guide was really enthusiastic about old stuff.

Wow, was my kid-self clueless?

A recent visit to my hometown museums was eye-opening. The man who built the French house was fascinating, as were the family heirlooms on display.

The oldest house in Beaumont was built in 1845 by John Jay French, a tanner and merchant.

French's home reflects his prosperity: It was built with milled lumber to two stories, and it was painted, all rare for the day.

Most of the museum's heirlooms- French's desk, a music box, a well-worn Bible, dolls with pecans for faces- are original to the home. French, who believed only God could build something perfect, made some of the pieces, which is why docents can point to quirky, purposely constructed flaws such as an unfinished floral pattern on a pie safe and a mismatched number on a clock's face.

The museum has lovely grounds, including a yard, a re-created tannery and blacksmith shop, and a family cemetery, where a chilling number of youngsters are buried.

The docent also shared a story about a carpetbagger who cased area homes by posing as a clocksmith, then robbed them of gold and other valuables. French's adult sons got wind, set up a sting, and when the robber took the bait, they pounced.

The bad guy is said to be buried somewhere on the grounds.

After two days of touring the museums in Jefferson and Orange counties, I concluded, while most are small in scale and scope, the collection is impressive.

Buy Wednesday's Beaumont Enterprise to read about 8 other museums you should visit.