West Texas 1st Hospital-Ferguson Clinic

In the early 1890's a Dr. Ferguson moved to a location about 3 miles east of the Quaker colony of Estacado. Here he built the first hospital in West Texas, known as Ferguson Clinic. This was a two story box and strip building with a basement. A large concrete
slab or porch was poured on the south side of the building. A number of black Locust trees were planted to shade the building.


These pictures show the site of the hospital in February of 2007. The basement of the clinic is being used as a farm trash pit. No trace of the original building remains. Concrete slabs from the porch line the south side of the trash pit and some of the shade trees remain on the south side.

Local histories tell stories of patients having surgery performed outside on the porch under the shade trees and then being sent home for recovery. If necessary, patients were moved inside the hospital building to recover.



Asecond doctor Ferguson joined the staff and also worked at the clinic. Today the site of the clinic is being used as a farm trash pit. Some of the remains of the shade trees still line the trash pit.