While not a family-owned piece, this period-appropriate desk is set up similarly to what John's office may have looked like. The writing quills were made from turkey feathers, which he used to record information in his ledgers. On top of the desk is a cigar mold that Mr. French would have used in the hopes of growing tobacco in the area.

Mr. French did business by barter-and-trade because he did not trust money. Before 1861, states printed their own money and it held different values across state lines. He operated his business on a debt or credit system, or positives and negatives. His employees were paid in-store credit to get things they needed for their homes from his trading post. He kept very detailed ledgers of all his transactions. We know the names of people who frequently did business with him and lived in the area, some of whom became very prominent Beaumont families. We also know the prices of different items. An apple might be 2 cents, a tin of tobacco was about 6 cents, and a pair of shoes was $2!

This powder keg and horn were used to store black powder for the family's guns. The powder was stored in the keg and transferred to a gun through the horn.

On top of the desk is a cigar mold that Mr. French would have used. The French family attempted to grow tobacco, a lucrative crop at the time, until they realized Beaumont's humidity wouldn't allow the crop to survive. Though tobacco did not fare well in the Southeast Texas climate, the family is credited as the first in the area to successfully grow rice!

Each room in the home contains a gun, typically placed above the doorway for easy access. Heavy and awkward, these guns were difficult to shoot and often had poor aim. to be a good shot, you had to practice with the gun frequently!

When David French grew old, he gave several interviews to the local Beaumont paper. He talked about being awoken one night, hearing a ruckus in the hog pen that used to be back behind his house. It was very dark and he couldn't really see well, so he grabbed his gun and fired a shot in the direction of the noise. When things quieted down, he got his lantern and went out to investigate. To his surprise, he had shot and killed a bear that was trying to get one of the hogs in the hog pen!

During the Civil War, the French men did not fight, but regularly supplied leather goods to the Confederate army. Later, when Mr. French decided to retire from tanning fully after the Civil War, he did not simply turn the tannery over to the boys who had grown up working side by side with their father. They had to buy him out! David continued running the tannery full-time, while John Jr. decided to farm; he had mills for grinding corn, grain, rice, and sugar cane. Mr. French took over running the trading post full time and later got into land speculation. He went all over the state of Texas buying land through tax sales and bankruptcies and ended up owning thousands of acres across the state. This map reflects the State of Texas during this time.

This small bed would be for visitors who stayed overnight with the family. It's much smaller than a modern bed, likely due to people being shorter in the 1800s. Additionally, it was more laborous to build a bigger bed for someone who would only stay temporarily.

A saddle horn like this one would have been used to repair and make saddles from the leather that was tanned at the French Tannery!