We continue to celebrate National Preservation Month. This Thursday, May 22, Dr. Kay Decker of Alva, Executive Director of Freedom West Community Development Corporation will speak on preservation as it intersects with community identity and culture, education, tourism and increased tax base.
Within 25 miles of Watonga, we have approximately 20 sites on the National Registry of Historic Places. Some are homes, federal buildings, a blacksmith shop, community watering troughs, salt works, gypsum works, the graves of Jesse Chisholm and Chief Left Hand, and a WPA built armory. All these are recognized as important cultural/historical sites worth preserving and celebrating.
At the T.B. Ferguson Home, the Friends of the Ferguson continue to aid in preservation of the home of the sixth governor of Oklahoma Territory, the vice -chair of the Republican Party (Elva), and the subject of Edna Ferber’s book “Cimarron.” Mr. Olsen has completed scraping and caulking on much of the house, though the two large windows on the south really need renovation as the wood in places is more air than wood. Over 200 pickets of the original 784 pickets, all originally cut by Mr. Max Shaw, have been refurbished and are ready for painting. The porch is being made ready to paint. The front porch and the balcony were painted with good oilbased paint in 1977 (This Old House… (Ellen Shaw), and perhaps since, but is in need of paint now.
Mrs. Shaw writes in the January 2, 1977, Fergson Feature, “the State Parks Department (owner of the Home at that time), sent two men from the office to check on the storm windows for the first floor windows. They are in hopes that they will be installed in the next two weeks” Then by March 17, 1977, she writes “Last fall, the State Department of Parks asked us to list the things we thought were of first priority. We listed the need for storm windows on at least half of the windows this year and the remainder for next year. To our surprise, all the windows (26) now have storm windows. Iva Mae Hinkley, curator, says that the fuel bill was cut from $180 to $50 as of last month. The dust coming in around the windows is practically nil.” Unfortunately, these wooden storm windows all need to be replaced after 48 years. Let’s work together as a community with the city to put this landmark in top condition to show our pride in the past and to build for the future.