Gem City Jewel: Carry Nation Hatchetation!

The Woman’s Christian Temperance Union, founded in 1874, believed that the only way to save people from the temptation to drink was to outlaw the selling of liquor.  One of the best known members was Carry Nation, who began her crusade in 1892.  When one of her eloquent speeches was ignored by drinkers, she would resort to other means to get her message across.  Armed with a hatchet, she would enter a saloon and smash bottles and furniture.  This direct approach to the problem became known as a “Hatchetation”.

On October 22, 1904 Carry came to Dayton, selling her autobiography and souvenir wooden hatchets.  Every day she gave a speech at a different church with hundreds of people attending.  As the days went by and it came closer for her time to leave Dayton everyone became anxious, since they felt that Carry would not be able to hold back her tavern-smashing tendencies much longer.