J.P. Baden was described by the Galveston Daily in Galveston, Texas, in 1896 as “the most interesting and prominent character in Kansas commercial circles”. During his short lifetime, he went from the life of a poor German immigrant who spoke no Engish to the life of a wealthy businessman who gave freely to charity. At the height of his career, he owned the largest produce export business west of St. Louis and also owned and operated a mill. He had 250 employees with a yearly payroll of $165,000. He was ahead of his time in his interaction with his employees, as he payed them for days they were ill and was known for his generosity to them. His business interests generated $600,000/year in a town of only 5,000 people before the turn of the century... a remarkable achievement from a man who came with two brothers to America from Germany at the age of 15!

Adelaide Baden continued her husband’s business interests after his death. She also contributed to numerous civic and charitable interests, as her husband had done. During the course of their lives together, they started St. John’s Lutheran College in Winfield with a donation of $60,000. They also helped create Island Park, a public hospital, and an Observatory on E. 9th Street (which is no longer there). After her husband’s death, Adelaide built the Memorial Lutheran Church, the Lutheran Orphanage (1907), and she organized and was president of the Cowley County Historical Society. Many students were given college educations with the Badens paying all expenses, even though the students had no idea who their benefactors were.

The Badens had two sons, Frank and Ernest. The oldest son had married much earlier to a woman named Grace. They lived in a home, also given to them as a wedding present by Frank’s parents. The home is also located on E 9th, three homes to the east of Harris House. Frank and Grace had one daughter, named Adelaide, after her grandmother.

In 1922, Ernest at age 44 was preparing to marry his third wife, Bessie. His home was built on property that belonged to Adelaide’s mother, Elizabeth Schurman. She owned the home directly west of the home, and donated part of her land for the building of Ernest’s home.

The home was built just as the influence of Frank Lloyd Wright was emerging in the country. The style of the home is his classic design of a large arts & crafts prairie style bungalow. It sat nestled in stark contrast among large Victorians on the street. It was one of the earliest and largest of the arts & crafts style in the city of Winfield.

Ernest and Bessie lived in the home together for only a short time. Bessie was described as a petite and attractive woman. It has been said of Ernest that he was best known as “the town drunk”. However, we do not know if that is a fair or accurate statement. We do know that Ernest and Bessie divorced in 1928, and Ernest continued to live in the home until his death in 1950, at the age of 68. The home was owned by three more families between 1950 and 2003. Six children were raised in the home over those years, and little by little the Baden bungalow on 9th street began to lose its’ luster.

In 2003, we purchased the home. Its’ glory had long faded, with wallpaper peeling off the walls and the once beautiful hardwood floors covered by worn, soiled carpet. The bathrooms were “beyond hope” in the words of a local contractor. However, a vision of a beautiful old home danced in our heads and allowed us to see beyond what others were seeing! Our kids thought we were crazy. Our friends wondered what were thinking! However, we pictured a wonderful historic home, restored to its original glory, and converted into a warm and welcoming bed & breakfast to regenerate the tired hearts, bodies and souls of weary travelers. So the work began… It took two years and more elbow grease than we ever imagined possible, but the Harris House Inn Bed & Breakfast was born. We have combined modern amenities with the character of all that once was. We hope that you feel like you have stepped back in time to a place where life was a little slower and a little less complicated. Enjoy it all as our offering to you… whether you are lounging in your own room, lingering over a multi-course breakfast, soaking in the hot tub, strolling through the secret garden, or languishing in the music parlor with the morning newspaper and soft music. Welcome to our Dream! We hope your stay with us becomes one of your favorite get-away memories!