Surely many of you know that the Ferguson Farm, or the Ferguson Unit of the Texas Department of Corrections, holds a place of importance in Madison County’s economy and the lives of many of us here. It’s been here long enough that it’s on a first-name basis for some. “Where do you work? Ferguson. Where do you live? Near Ferguson.” Located six miles south of Midway on F.M. 247, its payroll is essential to many local families.

According to Lucille Bates in Volume 1 of our local history, most of the land that comprises Ferguson was bought by the State of Texas in 1916, from Jacob A Herring and wife, Augustus M. Barton, along with Mary M. Barton and Henry A. and Pearl Randolph Turner. The transaction was completed on April 22, 1916, and recorded in the County Clerk’s Office, Volume 22, page 169. It was approved by the governor at that time, James E. Ferguson, for whom it was named. More land was purchased through the years, and at the time of Mrs. Bates’ writing in 1984, the unit consisted of 4,351 acres. It borders the Trinity River for several miles and lies opposite the Eastham Farm, just across the river in Houston County.

Ferguson Farm was mentioned in Volume 1 when Melba Frossard wrote about her father, Joseph Reuben “J.R.” Gibson, who served as Madison County’s sheriff from 1927-1934. That was during the “Clyde Barrow-Bonnie Parker” era, and one of their gang members, Floyd Hamilton, was serving a sentence at Ferguson Farm. Mrs. Frossard shared, “The escape of Floyd Hamilton from the Ferguson Prison had been engineered by the Barrow-Parker group, and the prison officials alerted Sheriff Gibson that the car containing them was headed toward Madisonville and that they were heavily armed. Since this was prior to the day of short-wave radio, this was done by telephone. Sheriff Gibson had only one deputy, Jay Bozeman, so he immediately deputized several of the leading citizens and an ambush was set up on the road to Navasota, as they had been advised that this was the expected route of escape. The men were successful in capturing the group of escapees, but only after a gun battle with the outlaws, who abandoned their car and took refuge behind the Mormon Church building at Jozye, a small community a few miles south of Madisonville. Although the breakout had been instigated by Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker to liberate their companion, it was discovered that they were not with the group. (The gun battle occurred near the present day Jozye Cemetery on Highway 21 south of town.)

Madison County Museum, located at 201 North Madison Street, is open to the public Wednesday through Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The mailing address is P.O. Box 61, Madisonville, TX 77864, and the telephone number is 936.348.5230. You also might enjoy the Madison County Museum Facebook page, which we try to keep busy with old photos and facts.