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110. The Brothels of Pensacola (Part VI)

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Updated: Apr 1, 2022


One of infamous houses of “lesser quality” was the “Black Mariah” where prices ranged from $1.00 to $2.00 per encounter. These girls of lesser elegance than Mollie's "ladies," often enticed the men on the street by yelling for them to come on in! Here, they would invite their prospective customers in to play the nickelodeon for a quarter and have a few dances and a couple of beers before going upstairs for their “date.” These women often came from the country in contrast to Mollie’s more exotic ladies and some came from the increasing number of unemployed “divorcees." In later years, the advocates of Prohibition attempted on several occasions to force their will on the voters of Escambia County, but they were defeated in each of the elections held in 1907, 1910, and 1915.


The businessmen of Pensacola clearly saw the value of gambling, prostitution, and drinking to the economy of the community. As long as they were tucked away within their own secluded district of town of course. But to keep the number of saloons down to a respectable and controllable number the fee for an annual license was set at $2,500.00, a huge amount for the day and time. However, with the license came certain requirements the proprietor had to follow if he wished to stay in business. The saloons were not permitted to have respectable women as part of their clientele and there could be no pictures or drawings of nude women on display. After all, the fine upstanding men of Pensacola had their "standards!"


Between 1900 and 1915, there was never more than twenty to thirty saloons open at any one time. Their operations were also restricted to the hours of 5:00 AM to 10:00 PM Monday through Saturday. Even those proprietors who sought special permission when the US Naval fleet was in town were denied the privilege of additional hours. Some of the better known establishments were the Goldmine Saloon at Baylen and Zaragoza, was the Glad Hand Saloon at 507 South Palafox Street established in 1903. Close by was the Owl Saloon at 501 South Palafox Street, which opened in 1903.


Another was the Klondyke Saloon at the corner of Zaragoza and Baylen and if these were not enough for the serious drinker, there was also Captain Cragor’s, Tony Johnson’s, and McHogg’s Place. There was another cluster of five saloons located around the L&N depot at Tarragona and Wright Street for the convenience of the travelers getting off the train.


Typical 1890's Saloons of Pensacola

[1] Ibid, page 77.


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