Former TAT-Era Aviation Hotel in Waynoka
1816 E Cecil Street, Waynoka, OK 73860
Age
All Ages
Cost
Free
Drive-by viewing only; not currently a public attraction.
Access
Limited Access
Public street viewing
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1929 · Transcontinental Air Transport History · Lindbergh Aviation Route · Closed Hotel
The Eastman Hotel building was constructed in Waynoka, Oklahoma, as the Campbell Hotel and renamed after Ann Eastman purchased the property in 1929. The timing was tied to Waynoka's brief but significant role in the development of commercial aviation: Charles A. Lindbergh selected the town as the western Oklahoma airfield for Transcontinental Air Transport's first U.S. coast-to-coast service, opened in 1929. TAT passengers traveled by Pullman train at night and by Ford Tri-Motor airplane during daylight, with Waynoka serving as a key transfer point.
The hotel served those passengers for the brief lifespan of the Plane-Train service, which ended within a few years as overnight all-air service became viable. The Eastman Hotel continued as a small-town hotel afterward, passing to Ann Eastman's daughter Lavern.
The building still stands at 1816 East Cecil Street in Waynoka but is no longer in operation as a hotel. Waynoka's transcontinental-aviation history is preserved at the Waynoka Air Rail Museum, located in the 1910 Harvey House and Santa Fe Depot.
Sources
The Eastman Hotel's paranormal reputation traces almost entirely to the Shadowlands Haunted Places Index entry. That account describes two anchor stories. The first concerns the original owner Ann Eastman and her daughter Lavern, with a darker addendum involving a preacher said to have abused Lavern in her later years. The second concerns a fire on the third floor that reportedly killed an infant and the staff member attempting the rescue.
Reports attached to the building include the sound of a baby crying and a man yelling on the upper floors, jingling keys at the front desk attributed to a former doorman, and whistling attributed to Lavern. The original owner has been described walking the front lobby and hovering near tables. Window curtains found tied back the morning after being left open are mentioned in the original report.
Available independent web research has not surfaced primary-source corroboration of the named incidents — birth, death, fire, or court records have not been located online. The building's broader historical context as a TAT-era aviation hotel is well documented through the Waynoka Air Rail Museum and the City of Waynoka's history page; the specific named-figure folklore is not.
The building is not in operation as a hotel and is not publicly accessible. Visitors should treat the site as a drive-by from the public street.
Notable Entities
View the former Eastman Hotel from the public street in downtown Waynoka. The building is no longer in operation as a hotel; the nearby 1910 Harvey House and Santa Fe Depot houses the Waynoka Air Rail Museum and is open for related transcontinental-aviation history.
Every HauntBound history is researched from documented sources. We clearly separate verified historical fact from paranormal folklore.
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