 2511 Q, April 2017 In the Spring of 1907, the real estate development company of Wright & Kimbrough was busy building "modern, artistic homes" on the block bound by P and Q, 25th and 26th. This bungalow, located at 2511 Q Street, was built on the West 1/2 of Lot 7. We know that the neighbor's home on the East 1/2 of Lot 7, was started in the Spring of 1907, around the same time as many other homes in the row.  The Sacramento Bee, April 20, 1907 Many of the new homes on the block were finished by the Fall of 1907. The future residents of the bungalow at 2511 Q Street were meanwhile residing in Oklahoma. Milton James Ferguson had graduated from the University of Oklahoma in 1906, and was serving as the librarian of the University of Oklahoma when he was offered an exciting opportunity to come West and serve as the Assistant State Librarian for the State of California.
When Milton and his wife, Rose, first arrived in Sacramento, the pair were welcomed warmly by Lauren Ripley, the President of the California Library Association and Librarian of the Sacramento City Library, and his wife. The Fergusons continued to socialize with the Ripleys during their time in Sacramento, so I suppose those librarians are a tight crew. The Fergusons resided at 10th and F street until they moved to the home at 2511 Q, sometime before November, 1908. Perhaps they were involved in putting the finishing touches and personal additions on the cottage that had been started the prior Spring. I do remember reading somewhere that the home was "built for" Milton Ferguson, but it was certainly started well before he came to town, based on the permit activity.
In November, 1908, Ferguson was one of the many residents of the bungalow block who opposed the placing of railroad yards and sheds on the block bound by Q and R, 25th and 26th. The petition was published in The Sacramento Bee along with the names of the residents who opposed or did not oppose the railroad yards and sheds. This article has been a very useful tool for me in establishing the pre-1910 census residency in the block. In fact, between finding that article and deciphering the lot numbers used to delineate the block, I am very close to putting together a timeline of the entire block being developed, but you will have to keep watching for that one! In 1917, Milton Ferguson was appointed State Librarian, as a successor to James L. Gillis, who had passed away. Rember how I mentioned that these librarians were a tight crew? Milton's pal Lauren Ripley was also in consideration for the position, but withdrew in Milton's favor, and he was appointed unamimously.  Santa Cruz Evening News, August 27, 1917 Milton celebrated by building himself a garage in 1918, as cars were becoming THE THING. He listed the house at 2511 Q Street for sale in 1919. He bought a new Paige Touring Automobile in 1920.  The Sacramento Bee, January 5, 1918  San Francisco Chronicle, March 7, 1920 Photo of new Paige Touring Model The September 1919 Advertisment in the Sacramento Bee reads: The need for a larger home has decided the owner of this handsome bungalow at No. 2511 "Q" to sell at a very attractive price. It is a bungalow of unsual beauty and home charm, one that will awaken you to a full appreciation of the convenience and completeness of the bungalow type of dwelling. And it is in a fitting setting for its attractiveness, the entire block being built up with bungalows of very pleasing appearance. There are five rooms--the front living room, about 14x30 feet, will win your instant admiration with its clinker brink fireplace, built-in bookcases, tapestry wall paper, casement windows, side wall and beam lights--and from there on you will voice your approval of every detail in this splendid home. A special feature of the bungalow is the large number of bearing fruit and nut trees in the back yard, worth hundreds of dollars. The harvest each year would easily pay the taxes on the property. The lot is a 40x160 with splendid cement-floored garage on the alley. Inspect this bungalow Sunday any time between 2 and 5 p.m. You'll want it if you want a fine modern home of your own. Easy terms. No. 2511 "Q" -- See it Sunday, betwen 2:00 and 5:00 p.m. The Carmichael Co. 1005 8th Street  The Sacramento Bee, September 13, 1919  2511 Q, Fall 2019  Milton Ferguson, portrait, ca. 1912 He holds a newspaper and pipe. Likely taken inside his home at 2511 Q  Photographic Print Shows first floor of the Capitol Building (round part in back). Shows bookcases, reading tables. Three people in library: Milton J. Ferguson, Elmer J. Walther and Attorney Hopkins. (California State Library, Law Department) Ferguson was making quite a career for himself, and both his wife, Rose and daughter, Ruth were enjoying Sacramento society. He had his sights set on a bigger home, as evidenced by the listing and advertising of his home for sale in 1919. I'm sure that the house on Q Street being burglarized in 1921 did not help matters.  The Sacramento Bee, December 3, 1921 By 1922, that opportunity to own a larger home finally presented itself in Wright & Kimbrough's Tract 24. Wright & Kimbrough had been marketing their new development, located in present-day East Sacramento, to families like Ferguson's, who were looking to move to a new suburb, a bit more removed from the indelicacies of city life. The three happy faces in the below ad might as well have been Milton, Rosa, and Ruth Ferguson. This ad ran in March, 1921. In November, 1921, the Fergusons purchased a lot in Tract 24. In January, 1922, the Milton's sold the home at Q Street to their neighbors, William L. & Ethel B. Brodie. The Brodie's had previously resided just around the corner, in another of the Wright & Kimbrough Bungalows of Bungalow Row, at 1616 25th Street. Unfortunately, William passed away shortly after the couple moved to Q Street, but Ethel lived at the home until 1928, when she remarried. The Fergusons began construction of their new home, at 1430 40th Street in Wright & Kimbrough's Tract 24, in February 1922.  The Sacramento Bee, Mar 19, 1921  The Sacramento Star, January 5, 1922 shows the transfer of the lot to the Brodie's  The Sacramento Bee, January 28, 1922 Weeks and Day are the architects  The Sacramento Star, February 10, 1922  The Sacramento Star, February 10, 1922 E. D. Beber is the Contractor Weeks and Day, the architects of the Ferguson's new home on 40th street, were in town for another large project- the plan to build two buildings as part of the State Capitol Extension. One building woild house the state library, the other would be for state offices. How interesting that the architects of Milton J. Ferguson's home were also the architects of his new office, the state library extension building at the Capitol. WIth the erection of their new home in Sacramento's prestigious new suburb, the Fergusons had truly arrived. In 1922, Milton was part of a committe responsible for organizing a "Day's of '49" celebration, celebrating Sacramento's mining history. He put out a public call for mining artifacts to be donated for preservation. From the sounds of it, the event was similar to the "Gold Rush Days" events that Sacramento has put on more recently. The goal was to re-create the atmosphere of Sacramento as a mining town in 1849. Tents were pitched and costumes were donned. Some nicely preserved photos of Milton wearing his costume are held in the California History Room Collection
In 1923, Ruth Ferguson went away to college at Berkeley, and the Fergusons would visit her there often. She also brought friends home to Sacramento for Thanksgiving, to visit her parent's lovely home on 40th street. In 1928, another opportunity called both Milton and Rosa to South Africa, where Milton would team with a librarian from Scotland, to make a survey and recommendations for the foundation of a library system in South Africa. The study was funded by the Carnegie Corporation. While Milton was in Africa, Mabel Gillis, the daughter of his predecessor, James Gillis, would serve as State Librarian.  The Sacramento Bee, January 5, 1928 When Milton returned from Africa, in May 1929, he was reappointed as State Librarian, with Mabel Gillis returning to the role of Assistant State Librarian. Mabel didn't have to wait long for her turn to step up again, as Milton was snapped up for a position that would take him to Brooklyn, New York in 1930.
The Ferguson's home in East Sacramento went on the market in May, 1930  "Milt Ferguson is a man of the highest type; ever anxious to serve his fellow man and serving him well, and when Milt leaves our golden shores, no little of the brightness of our inimitable state will have gone with him"- From "The Pulse" official publication of the Rotary Club of Sacramento, September, 1930  The Sacramento Bee, September 12, 1930 The Sacramento Community mourned the loss of Milton J. Ferguson, and he made himself even more lovable with his parting words, a warning against the invasion of personal rights, and explicitly against prohibition (swoon!)  Milton J. Ferguson made a deep impression upon the City of Sacramento and the State of California during his two decades here. California obviously made an impression on him, as well. When he returned to Sacramento in 1939 for a visit, the Rotary Club recreated the atmosphere of 1921-1922 in his honor. According to the June 16, 1939 edition of The Sacramento Bee, Milton spoke and praised the city thusly, "It looks like someone is doing a good job of civic house-cleaning, to see everything so spick and span and so many flowers blooming everywhere. I am sorry to say many of our eastern cities do not look like that. I had forgotten until I returned that there are so many beautiful trees in Sacramento. You certainly ought be proud of them and should guard them" -Milton J. Ferguson Yes, Milton, we are and we should. I'm not sure why they changed our water tower to no longer proclaim that we are the "City of Trees", but there are lots of folks here in Sacramento who still care about the trees. I'm sure that you would be proud of the work that the Sacramento Tree Foundation is doing to steward our urban forest.  2511 Q Street was the Ferguson's first home in California, and they lived there for over 13 years. 
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