Stella Carroll: Victorian Madam
From the Duck Building to Herald Street in Victoria, BC
In her new book, Linda J. Eversole intriguingly tells the story of Stella Carroll and the scandalous life she lived.
The life of Stella Carroll might seem tame by today’s standards, but in the late 1890s, her outspoken ways and scandalous lifestyle made for court appearances and disapproval of her career as a madam. Her first brothel in Victoria was set up in the Duck Building, later moving to Herald Street.
Stella Carroll: Unrepentant Madam
In her titillating book, Stella Carroll: Unrepentant Madam, Linda J. Eversole fuses over 20 years of her own research to flesh out the woman who was determined to do things her own way. Stella left evidence of her notorious businesses in newspapers of the time, letters to family and friends, and in her beloved autograph book. Linda sticks to the facts and lets them speak for themselves.
Life of a Madam
Growing up in Missouri, young Stella spent her time roaming the countryside with her brother and sister. With a sudden move to Kansas and the loss of her mother, Stella grew up fast and learned how to use her sexuality to gain attention from men.
Her meagre upbringing cultivated a desire to not only appreciate the finer things in life, but to strive to have them for herself. This drive for a better life saw her as the owner of many pieces of property by the time she was 25 and the ambitious idea to start her own brothel.
Victoria, BC
After opening up shop in San Francisco and then Seattle, she found herself in Victoria, British Columbia. Here she set to work developing a high class brothel, wanting to run the classiest joint in town.
She occupied the top two floors of the Duck Block building on Broad Street (see below for present day tours). Not long after, she also bought the building at 643 Herald Street, in an area not as “accepting” of brothels than Broad Street. This lead to many police crackdowns, court appearances and trouble with the neighbours.
Stella Carroll’s Victoria
Both of the above properties can be seen in modern Victoria, BC. The Duck Block building is still standing and is part of the “Discover the Past” walking tours in the city. Contact John Adams to confirm tour times and days: (250) 384-6698.
Heading over to Herald Street, Stella’s upscale building is now home to the Taj Mahal Restaurant. Notice the address difference: in Stella’s day, the building was numbered 643, but due to the notoriety of her comings and goings, the city decided to change the address in 1920. You can now find it at 679 Herald Street.
To read the rest of Stella’s fascinating story, get a copy of Stella: Unrepentant Madam from TouchWood Editions.
