The 1893 jail that sits on the Ferguson Home Museum site was the Watonga City jail and was acquired by the Mother’s Self Culture and placed on the property. The jail has a unique design. The walls and floor are built of 2x4 lumber. The 2x4s are stacked face to face and held together with 60D nails. We call these 60 penny nails and they are 6 inches in length. The D stands for denarius, the unit of a day’s wages in Bible times. When the British developed their system, they call them penny rather than denarius, but retained the D. The floor is made with the 2x4s parallel face to face so both the walls and floor are 4 inches thick and secured with multiple 6” nails. The door is apparently at the old city jail according to Ellen Shaw’s “This Old House … in Watonga. ‘” My fifth reason the City should support the museum is for the wellbeing of it’s citizens. In addition to essential municipal functions, forward thinking cities provide avenues for off-work hours. Our library, multiple parks, sports venues, water park, Liberty Theater, Independence Day celebration, Cheese Festival, community dinner, Bikes and BBQ and other activities are examples of the promotion of the physical and psychological well-being of its citizens.
To see the beautiful 1901 mansion, to visit inside to see the organ on which the song “Oklahoma, A Toast” was written, the typewriter on which the Fergusons typed, copies of Mrs. Ferguson’s book “They Carried the Torch” about early Oklahoma Newspapers, to see an original sink and bathroom installed even before running water was available…all these provide entertainment and help our spirits soar to promote a higher quality of life for our citizens. In short, the museum provides a firm foundation of the past on which to build a strong future for Watonga and beyond.