JPK Huson 1863
Brev. Brig. Gen'l
- Joined
- Feb 14, 2012
- Location
- Central Pennsylvania
A stroll away from the Botanical Gardens, a few blocks from Armory Square Hospital, Smithsonian towering a carriage ride away, who knew an opulent bawdy house would be another landmark in LoC's city scape from April, 1865?
No secret, war time Washington D.C. is a ' thing ' for me. What began as a ' what were their lives like? ' became 100 informational rabbit holes. Endless. Grgrandmother was born smack in the middle of the war, across the street from the Capitol in a public house/hospital, Casparis. Rabbit hole in itself- Lincoln bowled there. Grgrgrandparents ' kept ' Casparis.
We hear a lot about ' soiled doves ', women driven to work providing er, entertainment for men. At the time of the war, 500 bawdy house operated in D.C.. Smithsonian Magazine pursued a dig of a site which turned out to be one of the more famous or probably infamous houses of ill repute. Variously calling herself Mrs. or Miss Mary Hall, we can actually see her establishment in one of the city scapes from 1865, handy on LoC. Only a few buildings tower above the collection of one and two story homes scattered along this street. There's a reason hers is one. War time profits must been incredible.
The archeological dig brought to light countless champagne corks, bones from steak dinners, remains of imported fruit, women's toiletries, porcelain shards. You can glimpse a night in the life of Mary Ann Hall's brothel.
Mary Hall made the papers on a fairly regular basis- then her trial enthralled an entire city.
" Reported to have seen hacks outside the house ". I'm smitted by the fact this photographer seems to have captured one. Not the wagon rounding the corner- there's something ' parked ' out front. This is Mary Hall's bawdy house. Census records also show the shacks and cottages surrounding Mary Hall's were inhabited by young, single wome. This might be more of a bawdy house complex, a commercial center as it were.
Evidence of lavish decor was found in the archeological dig. By all appearance this had been a posh, luxurious dwelling. Census records show it to be the declared home of only 4 women- seem to have been quite a few more. Despite the following story and scandal Mary Halls' establishment continued a brisk trade for a few years post war. You can see why business would have been affected- the war ended.
With the Naval Yard yet another towering structure visible in the city scape, unsurprising.
" To take away a colonel ", oops. What's interesting is women's names were published, never their customers. ' Handsomely furnished ', relics of which were found in Smithsonian's dig. It's a little crazy to see the Smithsonian looming over the story it would uncover 150 years later.
Adjoining dwellings were occupied by single women, according to census records.
Love the careful ' transacting the business they were on ( in relation to a watch ) '.
Predictable results from the trial, guilty although it looks as if no jail terms. Business is business. I can't tell whether Mary Hall's had been busted for prostitution OR various reports her girls included quite a few ' Sesesh ' who'd taken to driving in an open carriage singing Southern songs and loudly declaring their loyalties. She's been portrayed as kind of romantic figure, opulent, affluent and could blend in with the snottiest of society. Not so sure. Era descriptions argue current thought but why let Mary Halls get in the way of well, Mary Hall?
Whoever she was, it's a little fascinating seeing her home before it was just artifacts dug up 150 years later. If walls could talk, a house smack in the middle of a war, smack in the middle of a city whose military population was enormous could tell stories maybe we'd rather not hear.