Where Was the Chicken Ranch in Texas?

The Chicken Ranch was an iconic and infamous brothel that operated in La Grange Texas for over 60 years. Located about 70 miles east of Austin the Chicken Ranch gained nationwide notoriety and its legend lives on today. But where exactly was this notorious house of ill repute located?

A Brief History of the Chicken Ranch

• The brothel opened in 1844 near downtown La Grange and was run by a widow known as “Mrs. Swine.”

• In 1905, Jessie Williams (born Faye Stewart) bought a small house along the Colorado River and opened her own brothel.

• In 1917, Williams moved the brothel about 2 miles east of La Grange along the Houston-Austin highway. This became the permanent location of the Chicken Ranch.

• Williams and her partner Grace Koplan purchased 10 acres of land outside the city limits. The property had a typical Texas farmhouse where the brothel operated.

• After Jessie Williams died in 1961, Edna Milton took over running the Chicken Ranch. She officially renamed it “Edna’s Fashionable Ranch Boarding House. ”.

• The brothel was very successful, employing up to 16 prostitutes at its peak in the 1960s and earning over $500,000 annually.

• In 1973, the media and state officials put pressure on Texas Governor Dolph Briscoe to shut down the Chicken Ranch for good.

The Location of the Chicken Ranch

Throughout its history from 1844 to 1973, the Chicken Ranch operated in and around La Grange, Texas. However, it is the final location about 2 miles east of downtown La Grange that became the iconic site most associated with the notorious brothel.

The Chicken Ranch was on FM 908, which is also called Rocky Creek Road, just northeast of where it meets State Highway 71. The building was on the edge of La Grange, 100 yards away from the Houston-Austin highway.

The 10-acre property purchased by Jessie Williams and Grace Koplan in 1917 remained the permanent location of the brothel from that point until its closure in 1973. The land and buildings were located near the Colorado River bottomlands in a rural, wooded area.

The Brothel Buildings and Layout

The main building of the Chicken Ranch was a large white wooden farmhouse with green trim surrounded by oak trees. There was a discreet unmarked entrance at the back of the house where customers would enter.

In the 14-room and 16-bedroom house, the women worked. Each room had its own small bathroom. The parlor, where drinking and dancing took place, was on the first floor. There was also a dining room and kitchen.

Behind the main house were several smaller wooden buildings that actually housed chickens and livestock, hence the name “Chicken Ranch.”

Outside there were often 5-6 small cabins nearby where some of the women lived. There was also a separate building housing the washroom facilities.

In total, the buildings and land occupying the 10-acre property created a compound that allowed the Chicken Ranch brothel to operate discreetly for many decades.

The Scene Today at the Former Chicken Ranch Site

The site of the Chicken Ranch today is very different from its heyday as an active brothel. After the permanent closure in 1973, the property and buildings were largely abandoned and fell into disrepair.

Part of the main brothel building and some original furniture were relocated to Dallas in 1977. But the remaining house on the land deteriorated without maintenance over the years.

Today, the original Chicken Ranch property is overgrown with vegetation. The dilapidated and crumbling remains of the once lively brothel buildings are barely still standing.

While the iconic Chicken Ranch is long gone, its legendary status still draws curiosity seekers to drive out and view the site where it all happened. But passersby will find only remnants of a ruined brothel, reclaimed by nature decades ago.

The Chicken Ranch in Texas History and Pop Culture

Even though its physical buildings are now debris, the memory and mythos of the Chicken Ranch still endures. For over 60 years it operated openly as a prosperous brothel, insulated by its remote location and symbiotic relationship with local officials.

The Chicken Ranch was immortalized in The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, both the hit Broadway musical and 1982 movie starring Dolly Parton and Burt Reynolds.

While prostitution is illegal in Texas today, the Chicken Ranch remains a frequently romanticized icon of the state’s past vices and raunchier history. For many Texans, this real-life brothel represents a bygone era of Wild West freedoms and indulgences.

So while the notorious Chicken Ranch is long gone, its lasting place and appeal in Texas lore seems assured. The curious can still find the unremarkable ruins of the once lively brothel, echoing today with legend and sinful memories.

For over 60 years, the Chicken Ranch brothel operated 2 miles east of La Grange, Texas along FM 908/Rocky Creek Road. Its remote wooded location allowed the business to thrive discreetly. While only debris remains today, the Chicken Ranch still stands tall in Texas history and pop culture. The site remains imbued with the salacious stories and myths of its notorious past as Texas’ most famous brothel.