Vulgar History Nominees

Thanks to the classic Dolly Parton film The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas and ZZ Top’s ode “La Grange,” many people think they know the story of the infamous Chicken Ranch. The reality is more complex, lying somewhere between heartbreaking and absurd. For more than a century, dirt farmers and big-cigar politicians alike rubbed shoulders at the Chicken Ranch, operated openly under the sheriff’s watchful eye. Madam Edna Milton and her girls ran a tight, discreet ship that the God-fearing people of La Grange tolerated if not outright embraced. That is, until a secret conspiracy enlisted an opportunistic reporter to bring it all crashing down on primetime television. Drawn from exclusive interviews and expanded with newly uncovered information, Jayme Lynn Blaschke’s revelatory exposition of the Ranch illuminates the truth and lies surrounding this iconic brothel.

Hazel Weisse moved to Georgetown in 1936 and opened a brothel three miles south of Front Street. Despite being illegal, the business remained open for thirty-three years until Weisse’s retirement in 1969. She was well known, shopping every week on Front Street and appearing in the newspaper as a donor to charitable causes. She sent her “sporting ladies” to town for their weekly doctor visits, banking deposits and shopping trips. Weisse was also aware of the community around her business. She did not allow her employees free access to Georgetown. She approved their choices of clothes to wear to Front Street, warned them not to look at men on the sidewalk and forbade soliciting. Author David Gregg Hodges reveals the history and stories behind the Sunset Lodge.