Ghosts of the Chicken Ranch

Book excerpt: The permanent closure of the Chicken Ranch on August 1, 1973, made international headlines. The legendary brothel--reputed to have maintained continuous business for 144 years--seemed invincible until that fateful day. But if the brothel's opponents had hoped the story would end there, they were surely disappointed. Immortalized by a Tony Award-winning Broadway musical and subsequent motion picture, "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas" grew in fame and notoriety even as time and neglect took a toll on the original building. Decades passed, and rumors spread even as memory faded. The Chicken Ranch had moved to Dallas and became a restaurant, some recalled. No, it had burned to the ground, others said. They tore it down long ago, argued another. No matter the story, one thing remained consistent: There was nothing left to see. Now, on the 40th anniversary of the Chicken Ranch's closure, GHOSTS OF THE CHICKEN RANCH takes readers on a photographic tour of the brothel's ruins and shows that "nothing left to see" is not entirely true...