History
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Star House is one of Ketchikan's oldest buildings and the Territory of Alaska's only registered brothel. Its infamous owner, “Black Mary” Thomas, added a dance hall with an inlaid star in the floor, which gave the building its name. Thelma Baker Graham bought the Star in 1924, and “Thelma's Place,” as it came to be known, became the Creek's liveliest hot spot, offering sporting women, prohibition alcohol, and dancing, with “Blind Ernie” playing the piano. After community “reformers” finally shut down business on the Creek in 1954, Thelma lived there until a stove fire ended her life in 1972. Despite years of neglect, most of the original cedar siding and trim and many original windows remain, and the Star House is on the National Register of Historic Places.
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Saxman, Alaska · United States
