Sin in the Summit City

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Based on a Presentation led by:  Karen Richards, Allen County Prosecutor

The history of Fort Wayne is quite dicey, starting in 1830 with the Wabash & Erie Canal construction which brought in two types of people.  Because of the commercial opportunities, men, women and families with more of a Puritan view came from northern England.  The second group consisted of the German and Irish single men who were more of a drinking crowd.

During the Victorian era, the view of sex by the Puritans was that sex was only for those who were married and was for procreation only.  Any woman having sex outside of marriage was considered a prostitute.  Prostitutes in Fort Wayne were native born Irish/German women.  They were mostly between the ages of 17 and 21, but some were as young as 14.  Some prostitutes had children and were married but their husbands had left them and left them with nothing.  These women would be in the prostitution business for approximately 5-6 years.  Many had died after those years and others would move away who had assumed different identities while prostituting.  Some women became prostitutes because they left an abusive relationship and had no other occupational opportunity or women were left by their lovers and considered ‘fallen’ women.  Others were enticed as a new immigrant, feeble minded, had no safety net or lived in poverty.

Many businesses were built around the canal:  Hotels, Brothels, Saloons, Dance Halls and the Parlor House.  The Parlor House would have a legitimate business on the first floor while the second floor housed prostitution.  Many arrests were made on the 2nd floor.  These businesses were on E. Wayne St, E. Columbia St. Broadway & Main St area.  The Chicago Times (1871) labeled Fort Wayne ‘The most lawless town in Indiana’.  The population was growing, more crimes were committed, more whiskey and beer shops had opened (180) and prostitution was rampant.

Fort Wayne residents had decided a court was needed.  They came up with the mayor’s court where adultery was considered illegal and you were either fined or the case was dismissed if you left town.  Franklin P. Randall came to the rescue as mayor who created a police force to deal with the gambling, prostitution and drinking from twilight to daybreak.  The first Fort Wayne police station was on Court Street.  Iron cages were built for men and women were on the second floor.  The ‘Randall’ building is located on Lafayette and Berry where the now GTE building stands.

In early 1900s, the railroad came to town which fueled growth.  The Bass Foundry came to town and locations of prostitution grew.  The police were no longer good and frequented the brothels.  Decent women were no longer safe.  One report states that on 109 Barr St a drunk followed a woman home, assuming she was a prostitute, knocks down her door and beats her.  Edward Ryan organizes a gang.  His home on Clinton/Calhoun was set fire which the police allowed to burn down.

Women began to organize, Mason Long changed is view about women and started to save the girls that were wronged by men or disowned.  The ‘Organized Red Light District’ begins.  The most known location was the St. Mary’s Flats on Eureka St.    This takes women off the streets and offers safety.  These brothels were run by madams who would pay off the police force so no women had to do jail time.   In 1903, there were a total of 18 brothels located in Fort Wayne with 3-5 prostitutes in each.

This leads to the progressive era.  The citizens’ attitudes had changed and wanted to clean their streets.  The police had too much corruption.  Police Chief Elliot was indicted for accepting bribes from Mary Maloley, madam of a brothel (and started the Maloley Grocery Store).    Mary, also, dealt with jewels and money.  The ‘Flats’ were shut down.

By 1920, due to the changing attitudes and morals of the Fort Wayne’s citizens, the brothels disappear, the Flats (located at Headwaters Park), disappeared, the red light district disappeared and the hotels started to disappear down Columbia St and Calhoun St.

Nearly 100 years later, we have the Fort Wayne we see today, with downtown flourishing more and more with time. The Summit City is rich with history and vibrant with culture - a far cry from ‘The most lawless town in Indiana.’

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