Mary Ann Hall’s House

Abstract

Archaeological data recovery investigations were conducted at the site of the new National Museum of the American Indian on the National Mall in Washington, DC. Investigations included excavations on two lots, one that included Mary Ann Hall’s mid-19th-century brothel and the adjacent lot that included deposits associated with the brothel’s occupation. The archaeological record complemented the historical record, confirming that the brothel was a high-class establishment. The brothel’s 1860s deposits yielded evidence of expensive ceramics, champagne, and a wide variety of foods. Comparison of the artifact assemblage from Hall’s brothel with mid-19th-century family households in Washington, DC, supports the interpretation that the brothel purchased expensive consumer goods. Comparison of Hall’s brothel with other brothel assemblages in Washington, DC, revealed no simple brothel artifact signature but illustrated economic-status differences among the brothels.