Eaton Hotel & Carrie Nation

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Built in 1886-87 by Capt. J.B. Carey, this building was later purchased by hotel manager Ben Eaton. Not only was it considered a fashionable place to stay, it grew in notoriety after prohibitionist Carrie Nation visited town. She and three other women conducted a raid on the hotel bar, believing it was a source of vice. They attacked the barroom December 27, 1900, throwing rocks at a salacious portrait of Cleopatra and ruining some large mirrors. It was during this raid that Carrie began wielding her famous hatchet. She was arrested and jailed for about a month while awaiting trial, all the while complaining bitterly to media outlets that she was confined with "a maniac" and suffered being next to smokers. Her trial in March 1901 resulted in a mistrial, with votes 7-5 for conviction. Now free, she toured the country (returning to Wichita at least once) and was arrested many times during the course of her crusade for temperance. She died in 1911. A memorial to Carrie Nation is currently in Naftzger Park east of the Eaton Hotel.