I know about the "shady" area from researching Waco. It reminds me of Miss Laura's, a fancy bawdy house in Ft. Miss Laura had her own coins created so that her gals didn't have access to actual money until they traded in the coins. The men had to buy the coins from Miss Laura and then pay the ladies with them. Rather clever. I hope the Texas Ranger Museum gets more traffic with so many people coming to town these days. It's a fascinating place to visit.
Fascinating, Golden. I'd heard about the history of the area when I was a student, but never thought much about it or knew any particulars. Waco is really an interesting place and has a lot more history than most people would think. That is so true, Martha. The more I delve into Waco's past, the most gems I uncover. It's a town with a rich heritage. By Golden Keyes Parsons www. As one drives by the convention center and the memorial to Vietnam veterans along the Brazos River and the historic suspension bridge, most visitors would not dream they are driving through a former red light district.
In the late s to the s prostitution flourished in this area, known as Two Street or the Reservation, as the cotton and cattle trade converged in Waco. Depots sprang up along the Brazos River for both cotton merchants and cattle drives after the Civil War. Soon the small town of Waco became an epicenter for the two key Texas economies. As the legitimate businesses took root and grew, so did the illegitimate business WacoHistoryProject. The prostitutes simply flocked to where the money was, and the money was in Waco in those days.
By the s, Waco's red-light district housed more than prostitutes and several brothels and madams, the most famous being Mollie Adams. Although most Waco residents today are totally unaware of the reputation of the Two Street district and the name Mollie Adams, in the early s Mollie was an infamous character in Waco.
She was beautiful. She was a financial success. And she was a woman of many connections in Waco, although she was shunned by proper society. Because of these connections, it was rumored that the city officials overlooked many of her indiscretions and allowed her more liberties than were given to the other madams on the Reservation.
