Clay and Anthony have been working hard to get the columns all up. They will be white when finished. It looks so much better than a year ago with all the work being done on the front of the home and the yard work that has been done. All the flower beds have been cleaned out and along the south fence row.
We have a small sewing table in the downstairs pallor. In the drawer is an article about it from the August 19, 1973 Grit newspaper. The furniture maker was from Salem, Mass. It seems to be a Sheraton-style worktable by the leg design. The drawer has a lock on it. The article says the manufacturer made a mistake and didn’t leave room for the lock so they placed the locks on sideways. I don’t know why it would be necessary to lock it. It reminds me of now-a-days us seamstresses don’t want anyone touching our sewing scissors so we hide them away from anyone that may want to cut paper or anything that would dull them. Maybe that is why they locked the drawer.
Mr. Ferguson helped found the Oklahoma Historical Center. The Oklahoma Historical Society (OHS) was founded on May 27, 1893, by members of the Oklahoma Territory Press Association in order to pre serve a copy of the newspapers. In 1918 the OHS was relocated to the State Capitol Complex.
Thompson Benton Ferguson died in an Oklahoma City hospital, on February 14, 1921. He is buried in IOOF Cemetery, Watonga, Blaine County, Oklahoma.
Mrs. Ferguson took over managing the paper after his death. She ran the paper until she retired in 1943. Mrs. Ferguson sold the paper to G.T. Curtin upon retirement. She was the mother of five children, all of whom passed away before her. She lived in Watonga until her death in the Watonga hospital, on December 21, 1947. She is also buried in the IOOF cemetery.
We will be open 10 AM to 3 PM and giving tours during the Cheese Festival but won’t be doing a demonstration because of it being close quarters in the dining room.
The Halloween Bash will be at the Ferguson Home Museum on October 30, 2021, 6:00 to 9:00 PM There is a $2.00 entry fee. We won’t be doing games with the young people because of Covid but we plan on having events for the older more adventurous people.
We welcome anyone that would like to become a member of Friends of Ferguson. You will be helping a worthwhile cause. We have one meeting a month. You can help with any project you are interested in or none at all. Maybe you can give suggestions. Before Covid we had more educational programs in addition to fund raisers like the Chicken Noodle Dinner, Easter Egg Hunt for children five years old and younger, the Tea, Halloween Bash, and a Breakfast with Santa.
Our hours are Wednesday thru Saturday 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM. We are always glad to open at other times for people having company or special events.