The Eldridge House Hotel can trace its origin back to the New England Emigrant Aid Company, which was a transportation company in Boston, Massachusetts,[2] created after the passing of the Kansas-Nebraska act to bring anti-slavery immigrants to the Kansas Territory.

The company erected a temporary way station in Lawrence for these settlers, named the Free State Hotel.

This structure stood until August 21, 1863, when Confederate irregular leader William Quantrill and his raiders burned the hotel, along with the city, to the ground.

This structure was refurbished in 1925; the new version lasted until the mid-to-late 1960s, when it closed due to competition with motels.

[1][3][4] In 2004, the hotel was purchased by a new group of investors and completely renovated once again, restoring it "to its original 1925 grandeur.