During the Gilded Age (1870-1910), prostitution was seen as a necessary evil. According to popular belief at the time men had insatiable sexual appetites that needed to be channeled towards “appropriate avenues.” This often meant lower-class women, minorities, and especially prostitutes. Cities like Pensacola sought to keep prostitution out of sight and their communities safer by segregating working girls into red light districts.
While the women who worked in Pensacola’s red-light district left few written records behind, archaeology is finally helping to tell their story. Several artifacts associated with the women who worked in Pensacola’s red light district during the late 1800s and early 1900s uncovered through archaeology will be on display for the first time. View exhibit trailer on YouTube.
