As America moved westward during the mid-1800s, so too did the battle over slavery that was pushing the country to the brink of a devastating Civil War. In 1855, a group of settlers from the New England Emigrant Aid Society arrived in Lawrence, Kansas and quickly erected temporary housing downtown while their permanent homes were under construction. The building was christened the Free State Hotel, in honor of their clear intention that Kansas should be admitted to the Union as a free state. In 1856, the hotel was attacked and burned to the ground by Sheriff Sam Jones and his posse of pro-slavery forces.

The hotel was quickly rebuilt by Colonel Shalor Eldridge, one of the original New England Emigrants, who vowed to rebuild again should another tragedy befall the hotel. Sadly, his prophecy was fulfilled in 1863 when the notorious renegade William Clarke Quantrill and his Confederate raiders set out to punish the freedom-loving town of Lawrence. Quantrill’s Raiders struck the sleeping town early on an August morning. In four bloody hours, Quantrill’s men ravaged the area, killing more than 180 men and boys and reducing the town to ashes.

True to his word, Colonel Eldridge promptly rebuilt and the Hotel Eldridge opened in 1865 as a testament to the resilience of the people of Lawrence. The landmark property was hailed as one of the finest hotels west of the Mississippi and offered the finest in comfort for nearly 60 years. Recognizing its inevitable decline and yet honouring its importance, the city backed its demolition and the construction of a new, modern hotel in 1925.

The “new” Eldridge Hotel continued the fine legacy of service for five decades. As highway improvements brought new Interstates and the advent of motels, the historic Eldridge Hotel again fell into decline. It was converted into apartments in 1970 and was not reborn again as a hotel until 1985. The landmark property underwent a multimillion dollar renovation in 2005 to restored the building to its original 1925 grandeur. Occupying the 'most historic corner in Kansas,' The Eldridge is truly the place where history and hospitality converge.