SNOHOMISH, Wash. — All aboard of one of Western Washington's most unusual homes!
Bruce and Marie Ferguson no doubt, live in a different type of house. When they needed the perfect place to keep their collection of antique railroad lanterns, they built it themselves right here in the city of Snohomish.
The Ferguson house is a board-for-board replica of a typical train depot from the middle of the last century.
From the freight room to the passenger warming room, it's all here at what they lovingly call the Snohomish North Depot.
Initially, the idea to build the train station home was not to the liking to Marie: "I kind of drug my feet. Well, say for 20 years."
When they were ready to build, they couldn't just buy plans off the shelf for a new house that looks exactly like an old train station. So Bruce and Marie did their homework, studying old photos and visiting every depot they could, in such places as Canada, Montana and California.
After all that visiting, all it took was two and a half years of backbreaking labor. "Marie cut all the wood for the vault ceiling above us," states Bruce.
But one thing missing for their dream home was a railroad. "There's no point of building a depot if it's not on the tracks because it doesn't mean anything," says Marie. So they built that too.
But what's home sweet home to Marie and Bruce doesn't always look that way to the casual observer.
Many curious individuals think the Ferguson home is a museum or a restaurant. Marie had an odd encounter with a lady once in the house: "I was coming down the hall and a lady came out of the bathroom, zipping up her pants and saying, 'Oh, you should see that bathroom. It's really cute.' And I said, 'Yeah, I see it every week when I clean it.'"
But really, Bruce and Marie don't mind it much and understand that people are just curious.
And really, they are just happy to be living their dream and sharing it with the world.
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