The Oaks Historic District

“We have oil to burn!” boasted the writer of The Advantages and Conditions of Beaumont and Port Arthur of To-Day in 1901.

Two short years before, in 1899, the McFaddin family presciently sold off pastureland, in part to fund a new home – oddly enough, one that W.P.H. McFaddin would later trade with his brother-in-law, W.C. Averill, the McFaddin-Ward House. Shortly after Spindletop, in 1902, the first homes went up in what is now known as the Oaks Historic District. Many of the homes lining Calder were as stately as the McFaddin-Ward House, yet early residents in the Oaks, directly and indirectly benefiting from oil, spanned class and status. Bank presidents, attorneys, and entrepreneurs lived alongside druggists, salesmen, and clerks. 

The District

The Oaks Historic District is the largest historic district in Texas, with boundaries at Beech Street on the north, Rusk on the south, 1st Street to the east, and 11 Street to the west (see map below). The homes on the east side of the district are the oldest, as the district gradually expanded north and west.

If you are interested in researching the history of your home, please visit our Resources page for more information.