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In 1961, Miss Jessie died and was mourned by three generations of men whose passage from innocence she
administered. Her last few years were spent in a wheelchair on the porch of the brothel. In her 56 years as Madam and
owner, she brought The Chicken Ranch from an unnamed brothel to an institution which was even acknowledged in the
Texas Legislature.
In 1952, Edna Milton joined The Chicken Ranch and worked her way up to Miss Jessie’s chief lieutenant at the time of
the latter’s death. She bought the brothel from Miss Jessie’s estate and ran it with an “authoritative confidence” until its
closure in 1973. In addition to putting in air conditioning, she added a few “exotic extras.” Her term as Madam - like
Miss Jessie’s - was characterized by stable management and an operation that allowed no drinking, drugs or rowdiness
on the premises. (This philosophy was the forerunner of the modern-day business operational approach used by the
Chicken Ranch today.)
The end of The Chicken Ranch in La Grange came on August 1, 1973 when Fayette
County Sheriff T.J. Flourney closed the brothel on the orders of Governor Dolph
Briscoe. The catalyst for the closing of the popular and venerable brothel - one of
Texas’ oldest business institutions - was a crusade by Marvin Zindler, a consumer
affairs investigative reporter with television station KTRK-TV (13) in Houston. Zindler,
the former head of the Consumer Protection Division of the Harris County Sheriff’s
Department, believed that The Chicken Ranch was controlled by organized crime and
stayed in business through political corruption - charges that he never was able to
document. However, this moral crusader - who was adept to huckstering and was
described as an electronic bounty hunter with a flair for publicity - adroitly used his television show to create enough
public pressure to force the Governor to act.
The closing of the brothel was met with great displeasure from La Grange residents who accepted The Chicken Ranch
with tolerance, if not pride. As Lester Zapalac, publisher of the La Grange Journal put it: “The citizens feel it has done no
harm and a lot of good - I don’t know anybody who is against it.” Sheriff Flourney, a longtime supporter of the brothel
during its 41 years as Deputy Sheriff, agreed adding: “It’s been here all my life and all my daddy’s life and never caused
anybody any trouble.”
After the brothel’s closing, Edna Milton married an East Texas businessman and later worked as a hostess, cashier,
payroll clerk and bookkeeper. The brothel building itself was bought by a Houston lawyer and moved to Dallas where it
was turned into a restaurant and night club. It closed after four months due to a faulty heating system and limited menu
(only chicken dishes). Five years later, the furniture and furnishings were sold at auction by the Small Business
Administration to recoup funds from a federal guaranteed loan (some of the paintings are now displayed in The Chicken
Ranch in Pahrump).
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