Slater House.
Quick Facts
- Location:
- 220 West Garfield Street, Argonia, Kansas
- Significance:
- Home of the first woman mayor in the US
- Designation:
- National Register of Historic Places
- OPEN TO PUBLIC:
- Yes
Passionate about civic life, Salter joined a chapter of the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union (WTCU). Shortly after Salter became civically engaged in her community, the state of Kansas recognized a woman’s right to vote in local elections. While Kansas women were not permitted to participate in national elections, they were able to vote for town officials for the first time in 1887. That April, the town of Argonia, Kansas elected Salter the first woman mayor in the United States. She did not realize her name was on the ballot until the morning of the election! She lived at 220 West Garfield while she served as mayor.