You may not see one particular fact from the history of Fort Smith, Arkansas, displayed prominently on welcome signs. But rest assured: This community is proud of its colorful past and unique history. This has to be one of the best tourist sites in Arkansas.
The two-story Victorian mansion, also known as Miss Laura’s Brothel Museum, is now a place to learn more about the world’s oldest profession and its role in this landmark city. I didn’t know what to expect when I pulled open the door at Miss Laura’s. Would some displays, while historic, also make me blush? What could I learn from the life of a prostitute in the early 1900s that pertains to me now in the 21st century? Is this an “adults-only” museum?
My questions were answered, and I learned a lot. Let’s step up to the madam’s desk.
GET DOWN TO BUSINESS: The first stop is the madam’s desk at Miss Laura’s, both for visitors now and clients when the brothel was operating early in the 1900s. This one brothel in downtown Fort Smith, Arkansas, hosted nine prostitutes and one madam.
Peek at Prostitution Operation Through History’s Lens
Visitors to Miss Laura’s Brothel Museum today will see the house of prostitution as it likely was set up “back in the day.” Knowledgeable and personable volunteers and staff can give you a look around. For me, tour guide Erik Creekmore was a fantastic font of information.
Erik noted that the brothel operated on the token system. From the madam at Miss Laura’s front desk, men purchasing the business’ services obtained tokens when they arrived. Then, prostitutes were paid in tokens which they exchanged for cash via the madam.
How much did customers pay? Erik said it is unclear since time has erased some information about Miss Laura’s. Other details are preserved. The two-story baroque Victorian home includes original wallpaper, wall sconces, woodwork, and pocket doors. The museum also is decorated with many donated but period-accurate pieces. I was surprised that the 1898 structure was built with running water, gas service, and electricity.
“Fort Smith had electricity for quite a while,” Erik explained. “It was still just starting to come into common use.”
HEADY HEYDAY: This lithograph by John Bell Jr. depicts Miss Laura’s Social Club on the waterfront in downtown Fort Smith, Arkansas.
The History of the Miss Laura’s Building
The building known as Miss Laura’s was constructed by Laura Ziegler in 1898. She opened it as a brothel in 1903 and repaid the $6,500 she borrowed to build it in just 17 months. Bertha Gale Dean or “Big Bertha” paid $47,000 to take over Miss Laura’s in 1911. Bertha owned the house until she passed away in 1948.
The house of ill repute fell into disrepair before being purchased in 1963 and saved from demolition. In 1973, Miss Laura’s was named to the National Register of Historic Places. (Read more about this below.) Restored over the previous year, the structure opened in 1984 as Miss Laura’s Social Club and Restaurant. A menu on display at the museum includes categories such as “Quickies,” “Evening Delights,” and “Afterglow.”
The restaurant operated for only a short time. In late 1992, Miss Laura’s was reinvented as the current visitor’s center and museum.
DETAILS, DETAILS: At Miss Laura’s museum in downtown Fort Smith, Arkansas, rooms upstairs are recreations of the spaces where prostitutes conducted their business. On the brothel bed headboard is a permit for prostitution. The pitcher and bowl at right allowed both clients and employees to clean up. The chamber pot at the foot of the bed was for use during sessions, as patrons upstairs were prohibited from using the bathroom downstairs at Miss Laura’s while being served.
Prostitute Business Included Permits, Health Exams
As a tour of Miss Laura’s museum shows, the days of legal prostitution in Fort Smith were a far cry from the modern illegal scene of sex workers in this country.
To operate a bordello like Miss Laura’s early in the 1900s, a house owner in Fort Smith had to have a permit from the city; madams and prostitutes had to be licensed; and health inspections were regular for the women.
The city received monthly payments for allowing brothels to operate, and other rules included the requirement that each be surrounded by fences eight feet high.
“The Row” of downtown Fort Smith’s “red-light district” on the waterfront originally included six houses. Miss Laura’s building is the only one left.
The museum’s displays include a phone book with a listing under Bertha Gale’s name for Miss Laura’s, classified as a “boarding house” (shortened to “rmg hse” or “rooming house).
WELL-HEELED: The women of Miss Laura’s Brothel Museum may not have been “well-heeled” as in “wealthy,” but the museum has a wealth of information on the days of legal prostitution in Fort Smith, Arkansas. These small shoes help paint the picture of the petite females of the day.
Today’s Child-Size Clothing Would Have Fit Women of The Day
When we visited Miss Laura’s, my sister, my niece, and I agreed that the women’s clothing on display was noticeably small. “You’ll notice how teeny tiny the shoes are. The average height of a woman at the time was 5 foot 2. The average height of a man was 5 foot 8,” Erik said. Dresses, shoes, gloves, and more at Miss Laura’s museum give an idea of the women’s stature. Other artifacts tell more tales of their lives.
“They were considered inmates and the madams were considered keepers,” Erik explained. They were not allowed to go into town without being fined. “We don’t know many of their names,” Erik said of Miss Laura’s prostitutes. “They used aliases; it was meant to protect them and their families. The average age was 16 to 24,” he added.
HISTORIC SIGHTS: The hall upstairs at Miss Laura’s looks and feels more like a mansion than a museum.
Common Threads Bind Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow
As with the atmosphere inside, the actual structure of Miss Laura’s stands out with its unique architectural style. The clapboard building is topped with a mansard concave style roof trimmed in wrought iron, the Arkansas Encyclopedia notes, plus oil-de-boeuf or “eye of the ox” dormer windows, another baroque connection. This look makes Miss Laura’s a head-turner but in other ways, the former brothel is kept “under wraps.”
While it was only built for the express purpose of being a brothel, on the National Register of Historic Places, 123 N. First St. in Fort Smith, Arkansas, is listed as a “commercial hotel” selected for the registry in 1973. The building is noted for “architecture” and “social history.”
I noted the current address for Miss Laura’s is 2 N. B St., but that’s simply a result of the renaming of streets in Fort Smith over the years. Ah, “the more things change, the more they stay the same.” Legal or not, prostitution as a business remains kept in the shadows.
And: “Money makes the world go ‘round.” “The way that police would make their money (from brothels) was through fines and bribes,” tour guide Erik explained. “I’m sure the mayor and the chief of police had money slid to them. “And in a house like this, they could give a hefty bribe, too.”
TATTING MAKES A CAMEO: Most exhibits at Miss Laura’s are appropriate for all audiences, including this cameo displayed with homemade lace tatting to decorate the clothing that hosts the jewelry.
Age Recommendations For Tours of Miss Laura’s
It’s a matter of friendly debate: Should youngsters tour Miss Laura’s Brothel Museum with their families? The attraction is recommended for anyone age 16 and up, but those who bring young children aren’t turned away. The tour content remains the same.
I didn’t see anything that would keep me from bringing youngsters along. Besides, as most grown-ups know, explaining adult topics on age-appropriate levels to children is the way to go. I could imagine telling tykes that a prostitute was a lady so pretty that men would pay money just to talk to her.
Erik said that’s not a stretch of the truth at all.
“I’ve read of men out West who primarily would pay just to talk,” he said. “They were alone. The thought of having female company was good to them. They just wanted the company.”
BESIDE THE RAILROAD TRACKS: I don’t know if it’s the “wrong side of the tracks,” but the Miss Laura’s Brothel Museum building near downtown Fort Smith, Arkansas, is next to railroad tracks and just across Riverfront Drive from the Arkansas River.
Info to go: Free Admission, Parking, More at Miss Laura’s
I found Miss Laura’s former brothel as proclaimed: “The Most Unique Attraction in Fort Smith, Arkansas.” Unusual details lie within just awaiting discovery … far too many to discuss in just one blog!
Free tours of the restored house of ill repute are available, parking is handy and free, and the Arkansas River and downtown Fort Smith are a stone’s throw away.
