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Learn about Lancaster’s Notorious Past

Lancaster was once infamous as a “wide open” city for vice. Around 1900, police and other officials encouraged and even participated in prostitution, gambling, and drinking. The Lancaster Vice Walking Tour introduces you to the people and politics of this surprising era.
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Photos courtesy of LancasterHistory

  • We loved learning about the hidden side of Lancaster and imagining what the city was like 100 years ago. Hearing stories about individual people and how they lived really brought the tour to life. Highly recommend!

    Jennifer R
    Lancaster Vice Attendee

  • I had no idea about this side of Lancaster's history! Now I see familiar places in a whole new light and it was fun to walk the side streets and learn about places I'd never seen before.

    Kelly M
    Lancaster Vice Attendee

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Blog

Latest from the Blog

Chop Suey Restaurant, Open All Night
3 min read

Chop Suey Restaurant, Open All Night

In 1908, a Chinese or "Chop Suey" restaurant opened at 240 N. Queen in Lancaster. It later moved to the corner of N. Queen…

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Joyriding
3 min read

Joyriding

This blog post is an excerpt from Alison Kibler's article, "Sex and Our City, Part IV" in the LNP on July 7, 2024. Under…

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Podcast

The Lancaster Vice Files Podcast

Meet the people who worked in Lancaster's underworld

Barbara Foreman, Charity Girl
Episode 04

Barbara Foreman, Charity Girl

Barbara Foreman worked as a tobacco wrapper in the city in the early 1900s. She was part of a growing number of wage-earning…

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Jennie Taylor, Proprietor of Disorderly Houses
Episode 03

Jennie Taylor, Proprietor of Disorderly Houses

The local newspapers of Lancaster, Pennsylvania wrote often about Jennie Taylor, the daughter of a formerly enslaved man.…

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Amanda Breneman, Notorious Madam
Episode 02

Amanda Breneman, Notorious Madam

Police arrested Amanda Breneman when they raided her brothel in 1914. In this case, unlike most other cases of women arrested…

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Kennedy Eckert, Young Sport
Episode 01

Kennedy Eckert, Young Sport

Kennedy Eckert was a bell boy and a local billiards champion in Lancaster. Although these titles hint at Eckert's proximity…

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