We had a lady bring her three grandsons that are home schooled this week. The boys were eight, six, and four years old. They were very attentive. It gives me such pleasure when children show such an interest in history. The six year old put his hands in his pockets when I mentioned we don’t touch things when they went upstairs. The lady said she needed to go home and check on her dog before we were finished with the tour but wanted to come back and finish the tour. She ask what days I was there and I explained that it varied but if she called me I would be glad to meet them there. She said “good because I want you to give us the rest of the tour.”
A couple came Saturday morning as I was opening. They gave up their Saturday to help. They asked what I was doing that day. I said I was going to dust and run the sweeper. She dusted the down stairs and the second floor, and cleaned the restroom. He changed burnt out light bulbs and figured out the water in the rest room and made a spread sheet with how many visitors we’ve had since June 2016 until now. He separated them into local, in-state, out-of-state, and foreign. Both of us were surprised how many we had with Covid going on.
I’m sure by now some have heard the museum will be closing in the near future so I will try to explain what is going on. We have needed active volunteers and board members for quite some time. I’m the only board member left. Of the few volunteers left, no one wants to be on the board so no business can be conducted. It is really hard to do any programs and fund raisers with only two or three active volunteers. Louise Dunn and I pay the membership of our families and they help when they can but most live out of town. My son lives in Houston but helps with what he can long distance. I have health issues now so it even harder on the few volunteers we had. If anyone or group wants to step up and take over I’ll be glad to help them get acclimated. I don’t want to see the Ferguson Home close because T.B. Ferguson was a very important person to the territory and state of Oklahoma, Blaine County, and Watonga. He’s the one that pushed for Oklahoma to become a state. It probably would have happened eventually but he was the instigator. He was a founding member of the Oklahoma History Center, a big part of the Republican Party and Mrs. Ferguson continued with the Republican Party after Governor Ferguson passed away. They started the Watonga Republican newspaper which is still our weekly newspaper. They also had a newspaper in Hitchcock until he became Territorial Governor. He was post master in Watonga until he became Territorial Governor. I realize the house is just a building but where else can the history be presented and kept alive. I feel like it is important to let our children know this history. I’m sure there’s a lot more children and adults right here in Watonga that would like to know this history.
The house was finished in October, 1901, just a few weeks before the Fergusons moved to Guthrie where the state capitol was for a short time. The Fergusons moved back into it after his term was up and they lived there until their deaths. It was sold and used as a boarding house for about 20 years and then sat empty for a couple of years. The Women’s Culture Club who Mrs. Ferguson had been a member of, decided to buy it and make it into a museum. It took around four years and it was opened in October 1972. This October the T.B. Ferguson Home Museum will have been open for 50 years. We will be having open house Friday and Saturday of the Cheese Festival. So if you have been thinking you would like to see the museum you need to come soon before it closes. Come to the Centennial Park beside Clewell’s Hardware Store at 10:30 AM Friday to hear about the Ferguson Home.
A few people have said don’t be in a hurry to close, but this has been a long time coming. The membership has been dropping for years because our members are getting older. When there aren’t enough members to fill the quorum on the board my hands are tied. I don’t consider this being in a hurry, but to continue, The Friends of the Ferguson Home Museum needs board members.
Please call before coming for a tour as we are shorthanded.
Anyone that wants to become an active volunteer or become a member of Friends of Ferguson Home is welcome. We welcome all the help we can get.
Hours of operation are Wednesday thru Saturday 10:00 am to 3:00 pm. Closed city and state holidays. Give us a call at 580623-5069 or 580-614-1018 to make arrangements for after hours tour.