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Carry A. Nation - Part 7

The Famous and Original Bar Room Smasher

Carry Nation memorial in front of Hatchet Hall, Eureka Springs, Arkansas.

"She Hath Done What She Could"

Years of struggling to bring about change finally caught up with Carry Nation. She attempted a speaking tour in 1910, but her health failed her.

Nearing the end of her life, Nation purchased property at Eureka Springs, Arkansas, that included a farm and "Hatchet Hall" (top, right) which she hoped would become a school to promote prohibition.

Carry A. Nation made her final speaking engagement at Eureka Springs, Arkansas, in January 1911. She collapsed on stage, her final public statement being, "I have done what I could." Nation was taken to Evergreen Place Hospital in Leavenworth where, ironically, one specialty was the treatment of drug and alcohol addiction.

Carry Nation's grave marker in Belton, Missouri.

Carry Amelia Moore Gloyd Nation died on June 9, 1911. The funeral service was held in Kansas City, Kansas, and burial was in the cemetery in Belton, Missouri, near her parents. A service also was held in Eureka Springs. A memorial was erected in front of Hatchet Hall after the crusader's death (top, right).

Nation's grave was not immediately marked. For a time only a board painted with her name showed the world where the crusader rested. In 1924 the people of Belton raised the funds necessary to place a granite marker on her grave (bottom, left). It bears the epitaph Nation desired:

"She Hath Done What She Could"

 

Carry A. Nation is an online exhibit developed by the Kansas Museum of History.

  1. How Well Do You Know Carry Nation? - Fun quiz.
  2. Hatchetations and Home Defenders - Why reformers smashed saloons.
  3. Paying the Bills - Selling hatchet pins, buttons, and newsletters.
  4. Taking on the Role of Crusader - Personal tragedies in Nation's life.
  5. Other Crusades - Women's health, woman suffrage, and anti-smoking.
  6. An International Figure - People all over the world followed Nation's work.
  7. She Hath Done What She Could - Final days in Eureka Springs, Arkansas.
  8. An American Icon - Carry Nation is a household name today.
  9. Temperance Timeline - Timeline of alcohol reform.

Contact us at kshs.kansasmuseum@ks.gov