Ferguson Features

There were two couples in on Saturday. One of the ladies was a sewing machine enthusiast and gave Barbara a website on how to look up the dates sewing machines were manufactured. Barbara said it’s nice visiting with the different people that comes in. I feel the same when I give a tour and you can learn a lot from them. The treadle sewing machine on the third floor was manufactured the week of September 18, 1911. Can’t wait to check on some of the sewing machines I have at home.

Clay was out Wednesday replacing boards and scraping on the front porch. He and Anthony were both out on Saturday scraping. They have the upstairs balcony primed and painted. We still need to get colored paint for the trim work.

We will be meeting next week to plan the upcoming tea. We have a different topic of the program each time. You don’t have to dress up fancy to attend. Young ladies are welcome, maybe give you a chance to get away from the ball game and be around other females. We try to cover a different topic each time. My son, Lynn, was telling me about an Egyptian tea he drank in a restaurant in Houston. He tried to get the man to tell him what it was so we could have it for our tea but the man wouldn’t tell him just said it was a special blend just for them.

It was the policy of the editor to take firm stand on all major issues. Only a few months after its establishment, the editor of the Republican open a war upon lawlessness and through its columns accused the saloons of violating the law and of harboring criminals. As a result, one night while Mrs. Ferguson was in the newspaper office a cowboy rode by shooting into the office barely missing her. Another time one cold night, the office was set on fire. The family was asleep in the rear rooms, did not awaken until the fire had made great headway, and came near to being burned to death. A young man was caught and confessed that one of the saloon owners gave him ten dollars and a quart of whiskey to run them out of town because he was making it unpleasant for the saloons. At the trial of the saloon keeper, several men were on the jury who were in sympathy with lawlessness and so he was acquitted, but he left the territory at once. More to follow.

The next Ferguson Market will be this coming up Saturday, July 10, 8:00 am to 12:00 pm. If you have garden produce or canned vegetables, jellies and such, you bake or cook, do crafts, sew, knit, or crochet or have older yard tools, bring them to the market. Call 580-623-5069 for more information or to reserve a spot. Be sure and leave name and call back number if you get the answering machine because we don’t have caller ID.

Our hours are Wednesday thru Saturday, 10:00 am to 3:00 pm. We welcome volunteers in any capacity and anyone wanting to become a member of the Friends of the Ferguson Home Museum.