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{{short description|Sisters who ran the Everleigh Club brothel in Chicago from 1900 to 1911}} |
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'''Ada and Minna Everleigh''', born Ada and Minna Simms, were two sisters who operated the [[Everleigh Club]], a high-priced [[brothel]] in the [[Levee District]] of |
'''Ada and Minna Everleigh''', born Ada and Minna Simms, were two sisters who operated the [[Everleigh Club]], a high-priced [[brothel]] in the [[Levee District]] of Chicago<ref name="timeline">{{cite web|title=Meet the sisters who ran 'the most famous and luxurious house of prostitution in the country'|url=https://timeline.com/meet-the-sisters-who-ran-the-most-famous-and-luxurious-house-of-prostitution-in-the-country-b2fc0a0d414c|website=Timeline|access-date=7 April 2018|date=17 April 2017}}</ref> during the first decade of the twentieth century.<ref name="chicagology">{{cite web|title=Everleigh Club|url=https://chicagology.com/notorious-chicago/everleigh/|website=Chicagology|access-date=7 April 2018}}</ref> Ada, the eldest, was born in Greene County, Virginia on February 15, 1864,<ref name="chicagology" /><ref name="abbott4">{{harvnb|Abbott|2007|p=4}}.</ref> and died in Charlottesville, Virginia on January 5, 1960.<ref name="chicagology" /><ref>{{harvnb|Abbott|2007|p=296}}.</ref> Minna was born in Greene County on July 13, 1866<ref name="chicagology" /><ref name="abbott4"/> and died in New York City on September 16, 1948.<ref name="chicagology" /> |
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==Biography== |
==Biography== |
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The sisters claimed an alternative biography, which has long been accepted as factual. Better research has provided more accuracy.<ref name="abbottbio">{{harvnb|Abbott|2007|pp=23–46}}.</ref> |
The sisters claimed an alternative biography, which has long been accepted as factual. Better research has provided more accuracy.<ref name="abbottbio">{{harvnb|Abbott|2007|pp=23–46}}.</ref> |
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According to their story, Minna and Ada Simms were born outside of [[Louisville, |
According to their story, Minna and Ada Simms were born outside of [[Louisville, Kentucky]] in 1876 to a wealthy lawyer who had fled to [[Kentucky]] from [[Virginia]] when [[Benedict Arnold]] invaded Virginia in 1781. The two sisters had been to finishing school and had proper social debuts. When Minna was 17, she says she married a man whose last name was Lester who turned out to be abusive. Ada claimed to have been married to Lester's brother, who also turned out to be abusive. After both marriages failed, they became actresses. Claiming their father died in the early 1890s, they said they came into a legacy of $35,000. |
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===Early life=== |
===Early life=== |
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According to Abbott, whose research included an interview with the sisters' great niece, Minna and Ada were born in |
According to Abbott, whose research included an interview with the sisters' great niece, Minna and Ada were born in Greene County, Virginia to George Warren "Montgomery" and Virginia "Jennie" Madison Simms, the second and third of four daughters. Their mother died when they were young, as did their sisters. There were three brothers, who all survived to adulthood. Although the family was wealthy at the time of their birth, they lost much of their wealth during the [[American Civil War|Civil War]]<ref name="tonight">{{cite web|last1=Gunderson|first1=Erica Gunderson|title=Historical Happy Hour: A Toast to the Everleigh Sisters|url=https://chicagotonight.wttw.com/2017/07/28/historical-happy-hour-toast-everleigh-sisters|website=Chicago Tonight|access-date=7 April 2018|language=en|date=July 28, 2017}}</ref> and the family lost their plantation when they couldn't pay their taxes.<ref>{{harvnb|Wendt|Kogan|1974|pp=320–322}}.</ref> Both sisters were married but subsequently divorced.<ref name="treasure">{{cite web|title=The Other Ladies of Prairie Avenue|url=https://chicagotreasurehouses.com/2017/04/17/the-other-ladies-of-prairie-avenue/|website=Chicago Treasure Houses|access-date=7 April 2018|date=18 April 2017}}</ref> |
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===Later life=== |
===Later life=== |
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Stranded by a theater company in |
Stranded by a theater company in Omaha, Nebraska, the sisters changed their last name to Everleigh, adapted from their grandmother's habit of signing letters with "Everly Yours"<ref name="treasure" /> and opened their first brothel in Omaha in 1895. When the [[Trans-Mississippi and International Exposition]] was held in Omaha in 1898, they opened a second brothel in the vicinity of the event in [[Kountze Park]] and quickly doubled their investment. They then decided to close their brothels and sought a more affluent city.<ref>{{citation |last=Inghamn |first=J. |year=1983 |title=Biographical Dictionary of American Business Leaders |publisher=Greenwood Press |page=354}}.</ref> |
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In 1899 they settled in Chicago<ref name="tonight" /> and on |
In 1899, they settled in Chicago,<ref name="tonight" /> and on 1 February 1900, opened a high-class brothel named the [[Everleigh Club]], which did good business until closed down in 1911.<ref name="chicagology" /> |
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In November 1905, a rival madam maliciously accused the sisters of the murder of Marshall Field |
In November 1905, a rival madam maliciously accused the sisters of the murder of Marshall Field Jr., son of department store founder [[Marshall Field]].<ref name="chicagology" /> |
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When the brothel was closed by the city authorities in 1911 Ada was 47 and Minna 45. They then retired with over |
When the brothel was closed by the city authorities in 1911 Ada was 47 and Minna 45. They then retired with over $1 million to the West Side, Chicago, but were driven out by disapproving neighbors.<ref name="tonight" /> After traveling around Europe, they changed their name to Lester and settled in New York City.<ref name="timeline" /><ref name="chicagology" /> |
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Minna Everleigh died in 1948.<ref name="Tribune-1"/> After Minna's death, Ada Everleigh sold most of her personal belongings and moved to Virginia.<ref name="Tribune-1">{{cite news | title=The Everleigh Club | website=[[Chicago Tribune]] | url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/politics/chi-chicagodays-everleighclub-story-story.html | |
Minna Everleigh died in 1948.<ref name="Tribune-1"/> After Minna's death, Ada Everleigh sold most of her personal belongings and moved to Virginia.<ref name="Tribune-1">{{cite news | title=The Everleigh Club | website=[[Chicago Tribune]] | url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/politics/chi-chicagodays-everleighclub-story-story.html | access-date=January 26, 2016|author=Louise Kiernan}}</ref> Ada Everleigh died in 1960 at the age of 93.<ref name="Tribune-1"/> |
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==Scarlet Sisters Everleigh== |
==Scarlet Sisters Everleigh== |
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In 2014 a play |
In 2014, a play based on the sisters' life, titled ''Scarlet Sisters Everleigh'', was produced in Chicago.<ref>{{cite web|title=Scarlet Sisters Everleigh|url=http://threecatproductions.com/upcoming-season/scarlet-sisters-everleigh|website=Three Cat Productions|access-date=7 April 2018}}</ref> |
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==Notes== |
==Notes== |
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==References== |
==References== |
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*{{citation |last=Abbott |first=Karen | |
*{{citation |last=Abbott |first=Karen |author-link=Karen Abbott |year=2007 |title=Sin in the Second City: Madams, Ministers, Playboys, and the Battle for America's Soul |publisher=[[Random House]] |isbn=978-1-4000-6530-1}}. |
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*{{cite book |last=Asbury |first=Herbert | |
*{{cite book |last=Asbury |first=Herbert |author-link=Herbert Asbury |title=Gem of the Prairie |publisher=[[Alfred A. Knopf|Knopf]] |year=1940}} |
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*{{citation |first=Ray |last=Hibbeler |year=1960 |title=Upstairs at the Everleigh Club |publisher=Volitant Books|ref=none}}. |
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| ⚫ | *{{Cite book | |
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*{{citation |first= |
*{{citation |first=Edgar Lee |last=Masters |author-link=Edgar Lee Masters |title=The Everleigh Club |periodical=[[Town & Country (magazine)|Town & Country]] |date=April 1944|ref=none}}. |
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*{{citation | |
*{{citation |last=Wallace |first=Irving |author-link=Irving Wallace |year=1965 |title=The Sunday Gentleman |publisher=[[Simon & Schuster]]|ref=none}}. |
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*{{citation |
*{{citation |first=Charles |last=Washburn |year=1936 |title=Come Into My Parlor: A Biography of the Aristocratic Everleigh Sisters of Chicago |publisher=Knickerbocker Publishing|ref=none}}. |
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| ⚫ | *{{Cite book | last1 = Wendt | first1 = Lloyd | author-link = Lloyd Wendt | last2 = Kogan | first2 = Herman | author2-link = Herman Kogan | title = Bosses in Lusty Chicago (a.k.a. Lords of the Levee) | publisher = Indiana University Press | year = 1974 | pages = [https://archive.org/details/bossesinlustychi0000wend/page/320 320–322] | isbn = 0-253-20109-8 | url-access = registration | url = https://archive.org/details/bossesinlustychi0000wend/page/320 }} |
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*{{citation |first=Charles |last=Washburn |year=1936 |title=Come Into My Parlor: A Biography of the Aristocratic Everleigh Sisters of Chicago |publisher=Knickerbocker Publishing}}. |
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{{Prostitution in the United States|state=collapsed}} |
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Everleigh, Ada And Minna}} |
{{DEFAULTSORT:Everleigh, Ada And Minna}} |
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[[Category:19th-century American businesspeople]] |
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[[Category:20th-century American businesspeople]] |
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[[Category:19th-century American businesswomen]] |
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[[Category:20th-century American businesswomen]] |
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[[Category:American brothel owners and madams]] |
[[Category:American brothel owners and madams]] |
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[[Category: |
[[Category:Sister duos]] |
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[[Category:People from Greene County, Virginia]] |
[[Category:People from Greene County, Virginia]] |
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Latest revision as of 01:21, 7 January 2024
Ada (top) and Minna Everleigh, in portraits commissioned in Omaha, Nebraska in 1895.
Ada and Minna Everleigh, born Ada and Minna Simms, were two sisters who operated the Everleigh Club, a high-priced brothel in the Levee District of Chicago[1] during the first decade of the twentieth century.[2] Ada, the eldest, was born in Greene County, Virginia on February 15, 1864,[2][3] and died in Charlottesville, Virginia on January 5, 1960.[2][4] Minna was born in Greene County on July 13, 1866[2][3] and died in New York City on September 16, 1948.[2]
Biography
[edit]Alternative biography
[edit]The sisters claimed an alternative biography, which has long been accepted as factual. Better research has provided more accuracy.[5]
According to their story, Minna and Ada Simms were born outside of Louisville, Kentucky in 1876 to a wealthy lawyer who had fled to Kentucky from Virginia when Benedict Arnold invaded Virginia in 1781. The two sisters had been to finishing school and had proper social debuts. When Minna was 17, she says she married a man whose last name was Lester who turned out to be abusive. Ada claimed to have been married to Lester's brother, who also turned out to be abusive. After both marriages failed, they became actresses. Claiming their father died in the early 1890s, they said they came into a legacy of $35,000.
Early life
[edit]According to Abbott, whose research included an interview with the sisters' great niece, Minna and Ada were born in Greene County, Virginia to George Warren "Montgomery" and Virginia "Jennie" Madison Simms, the second and third of four daughters. Their mother died when they were young, as did their sisters. There were three brothers, who all survived to adulthood. Although the family was wealthy at the time of their birth, they lost much of their wealth during the Civil War[6] and the family lost their plantation when they couldn't pay their taxes.[7] Both sisters were married but subsequently divorced.[8]
Later life
[edit]Stranded by a theater company in Omaha, Nebraska, the sisters changed their last name to Everleigh, adapted from their grandmother's habit of signing letters with "Everly Yours"[8] and opened their first brothel in Omaha in 1895. When the Trans-Mississippi and International Exposition was held in Omaha in 1898, they opened a second brothel in the vicinity of the event in Kountze Park and quickly doubled their investment. They then decided to close their brothels and sought a more affluent city.[9]
In 1899, they settled in Chicago,[6] and on 1 February 1900, opened a high-class brothel named the Everleigh Club, which did good business until closed down in 1911.[2]
In November 1905, a rival madam maliciously accused the sisters of the murder of Marshall Field Jr., son of department store founder Marshall Field.[2]
When the brothel was closed by the city authorities in 1911 Ada was 47 and Minna 45. They then retired with over $1 million to the West Side, Chicago, but were driven out by disapproving neighbors.[6] After traveling around Europe, they changed their name to Lester and settled in New York City.[1][2]
Minna Everleigh died in 1948.[10] After Minna's death, Ada Everleigh sold most of her personal belongings and moved to Virginia.[10] Ada Everleigh died in 1960 at the age of 93.[10]
Scarlet Sisters Everleigh
[edit]In 2014, a play based on the sisters' life, titled Scarlet Sisters Everleigh, was produced in Chicago.[11]
Notes
[edit]- ^ a b "Meet the sisters who ran 'the most famous and luxurious house of prostitution in the country'". Timeline. 17 April 2017. Retrieved 7 April 2018.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Everleigh Club". Chicagology. Retrieved 7 April 2018.
- ^ a b Abbott 2007, p. 4.
- ^ Abbott 2007, p. 296.
- ^ Abbott 2007, pp. 23–46.
- ^ a b c Gunderson, Erica Gunderson (July 28, 2017). "Historical Happy Hour: A Toast to the Everleigh Sisters". Chicago Tonight. Retrieved 7 April 2018.
- ^ Wendt & Kogan 1974, pp. 320–322.
- ^ a b "The Other Ladies of Prairie Avenue". Chicago Treasure Houses. 18 April 2017. Retrieved 7 April 2018.
- ^ Inghamn, J. (1983), Biographical Dictionary of American Business Leaders, Greenwood Press, p. 354.
- ^ a b c Louise Kiernan. "The Everleigh Club". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved January 26, 2016.
- ^ "Scarlet Sisters Everleigh". Three Cat Productions. Retrieved 7 April 2018.
References
[edit]- Abbott, Karen (2007), Sin in the Second City: Madams, Ministers, Playboys, and the Battle for America's Soul, Random House, ISBN 978-1-4000-6530-1.
- Asbury, Herbert (1940). Gem of the Prairie. Knopf.
- Hibbeler, Ray (1960), Upstairs at the Everleigh Club, Volitant Books.
- Masters, Edgar Lee (April 1944), "The Everleigh Club", Town & Country.
- Wallace, Irving (1965), The Sunday Gentleman, Simon & Schuster.
- Washburn, Charles (1936), Come Into My Parlor: A Biography of the Aristocratic Everleigh Sisters of Chicago, Knickerbocker Publishing.
- Wendt, Lloyd; Kogan, Herman (1974). Bosses in Lusty Chicago (a.k.a. Lords of the Levee). Indiana University Press. pp. 320–322. ISBN 0-253-20109-8.