Pensacola's economic boom at the turn of the century caused another problem to surface downtown and along the waterfront. With the increase of sailors, timbermen, and naval stores laborers, prostitution began to appear in ever increasing numbers. This "profession" became so popular that a section of the city was set aside to accommodate it. The "Red Light District" included houses on Zarragossa Street from Palafox Street to Barcelona Street and also Baylen Street from Government Street to Main Street. This was a place where men frequented, good girls did not go, boys crept in to look around, and wives better not be seen. Extra police patrols were assigned to the area, which was informally allowed to operate, as long as the girls remained clean and disease free and were willing to report any and all lawbreakers.
By restricting the activity to a confined area, the police were better able to control the activities that went on there. Some of the "houses of ill repute" in this area were very up scale and the madams had their girls checked for disease periodically by local doctors, which definitely became a positive selling point for their customers. In the turn of the century census, prostitutes were listed as "sporting" women and the madams as "managers of sporting houses." Since the brothels were up and down the selected streets, they became known as "the line." Thus, on Saturday nights men were known to go "sporting the line." Many of these madams would not even allow their girls to drink or smoke while on "duty" in order to preserve the image of the “good American girl” to their customers. But the profession had its invisible and yet seedy side that took a toll on the “ladies of the evening.”
Because they came into intimate and physical contact with so many men, of whom many were coming ashore from foreign ships, they were constantly being exposed to a large variety of diseases. When the madams discovered that one of their girls were infected with any form of venereal disease they took them off “the line” and assigned them to domestic chores until they were cured or left the business. In addition to their medical maladies there were the psychological factors that had to be considered. The depression caused by the real or perceived rejection of society left many of the “sporting women,” vulnerable to a myriad of psychological disorders.
