Winfield Hotels

Will Robinson wrote in his 1924 book AFootprints@ the following; AAt that time (1879) Winfield had two hotels. The Lagonda Across east from Lynn=s on the corner of Main and Eighth. (North East corner.) The other, Williams house on the corner of Main and Tenth, where the Wallace clothing store is today. (North east corner.)@

AThe former kept by Sid Majors and the latter by Frank Williams, who built the hotel, and it may seem strange was built for a hotel.@

ACharlie Harter had the old Lagonda up to 1879 for several years, but about that time it burned and then the only real hotel we had was the Williams House, which I have already mentioned, a small building which is now the Wallace Clothing Store, but Mrs. Williams was a fine lady and kept a nice place. The Williams= sold out, bought the Occidental in Wichita. Mr. and Mrs. Williams managed that for a while, and then sold and went to Kansas City, Missouri, where they had a hotel for a while. The old Lagonda was on the corner of Eighth and Main across east of Lynn=s Store. A. H. Doane, of precious memery to many of us, had purchased the Lagonda and was to take charge in a few days, but the fire relieved him, and I think it was fortunate for him. It was an old dilapidated building. It would have been very hard to have made a desirable place.@

AMrs. Fannie E. Bobbitt is certainly to be among the pioneers, in the early seventies on a farmCcame to Winfield in 1879, and went into the hotel business, and for many years The Bobbitt House was popular with the people having business atthe Court House. Afterwards built a stone building on the corner on which the Lagonda now stands. Mrs. Bobbitt served good wholesome foodCnot much style, but >good eats,= and that was what people wanted then.@