The Chicken Ranch of La Grange

La Grange drew international attention in 1973 when the story of what many believe was the country's oldest continually run brothel was exposed by consumer-affairs reporter Marvin Zindler from KTRK-TV in Houston.

The report inspired both a Broadway musical and a Dolly Parton movie as well as lot of curiosity about the site, which was located on 11 acres outside of La Grange. The house which served as the brothel was enlarged over the years many times as the number of women increased.

Why Was It Called the Chicken Ranch?

The business was nicknamed the Chicken Ranch during the Great Depression. When customers grew fewer because of their lack of cash, the proprietor, a woman known as Miss Jessie, began allowing men to pay in chickens. Soon the ranch was overrun with both poultry and eggs. Always entrepreneurial, Miss Jessie began selling the poultry and eggs locally.

As economic times improved, the ranch returned to a cash basis and ownership changed in 1952 to Edna Milton, a madam who become one of La Grange's largest philanthropists.

When the Chicken Ranch closed, the building was moved to Dallas and, for a while, became a chicken restaurant.

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