The Hidden Brothel

[ForumManager]

Here are a few pictures.

The place was very overgrown so it really doesn't look like much is there.  I was remiss in not taking photos of more of the outbuildings.  most of them  were basic frame structures- half gone though.

[ForumManager]

Anxious to see the pictures....sounds very interesting! 

Forum Manager....if you are looking for perennials, let me know.  I have many that need to be divided and I would be happy to share with you.   

Thank you very much,  Shar,
I have plants to share too.   I want to wait until it gets a little cooler to dig mine though. Right now we are busy  filling in a pond since we moved and feel it is a hazard for the vandals.

[Shar]

Anxious to see the pictures....sounds very interesting! 

Forum Manager....if you are looking for perennials, let me know.  I have many that need to be divided and I would be happy to share with you.   

[Towntalk]

What confuses me is the swinging bracket on the fireplace. There were wood burning cooking stoves as earlt as the mid 1880's, so there would have no need for a swinging bracket on the fireplace.

How large is the hearth anyway?

[ForumManager]

The building that had the fireplace wasn't old enough to be a pioneer building. The chimney didn't seem as old as the fireplace... as least not to me.  They speculate that the  house might have been turn of the century?  The others would know more than me on that subject. Other than the  chimneys,  the house is collapsed as Shrimp describes.  Looks like it was a wonderful place to reside  as so many other places on the east side.

[Towntalk]

From the discription of the fireplace could it be that the buildings date back to the late 1800's when that area was farm land? How far away is it from the old McGuffey homestead/farm? It might be interesting to really research the location, and maby you stumbled onto the homestead of a "pioneer family".

The Mahoning Valley Historical Society might be a good place to start since they have a wealth of information. Keep in mind that the street names may have changed over the years and many roads had no fixed names early on.

[ForumManager]

Here's the location Towntalk
http://goo.gl/maps/fcYB

Even though I knew the location, the  entrance was obscure and it was a challenge to find.  Rick found it, not I. 

It was an interesting afternoon.  I was too scared to go inside the building but others took my camera in. Thank you Rick and Ron for doing so.
I will post photos tomorrow morning. Even from where I was outside the fireplace was impressive and to me almost looked as though they  could have  built a  building around an older pioneer fireplace.  Is that a common occurrence?  It was beautiful. There were also some mystery structures on the property.  There were 2 long trough like concrete rectangles that had a lip to hold a lid. All  kinds of uses were speculated. I believe Shrimp mentioned some history about who owned the property recently.  I can't remember the details - I feel badly that I kept forgetting the name of the young man that was  helping. I needed to take notes.

Didn't dig up perennials... tons of pachysandra, some ferns. gnarly big  grapevines everywhere - A kid's paradise.

[Towntalk]

If someone could give a good location for the property a search of the Sanborn Fire Insurance map might help give an idea about ther area. It could have been an early farm.

[jay]

How do you know it was a brothel?  From Rick's description, it appears to be the farm or property of a richer person.

[Shirley]

I really wish I could have seen it. I hope to see some pictures.

[Rick Rowlands]

I met Ron and Forum Manager at this "house of ill repute' today, and must say that I am intrigued.  The house has nearly collapsed in on itself, but the granite and sandstone fireplace still remains and in good condition.  It even has a swinging bracket for hanging a pot over the fire.  Some of the details of the residence indicate that it was built with a higher quality of finish than most housing stock in the area, and the numerous outbuildings and foundations seem to indicate that the property belonged to a rather wealthy landowner. It would have been the perfect place for a brothel, located in a secluded area in a sparsely populated part of town. 

[Towntalk]

There's one problem with that Jay. We don't know when it was a house of ill repute, or how many innocent families owned it after it stopped being such a place, and just speaking for myself, I wouldn't want total strangers linking me with that sort of business either directly or indirectly.

Being that it is a Sharon Line structure, its highly unlikely that any prominent folks owned it.

[ForumManager]

  I'm very glad we got some rain last night.

 

[jay]

How did you learn about the past use of this property?

Was this property ever someone's home?

What is the street address?  Maybe we could check through old city directories for former uses/owners.

[Shar]

The plants should be fine.  I have been digging and planting all summer. Just need to keep them well watered until they get established!     I'm very glad we got some rain last night.