The Hurdy-Gurdy House on Main Street
A Seattle neighborhood erupts in a formal complaint against the raucous music and nightly disturbances of a Main Street 'hurdy-gurdy house.'
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
The house of John Stott, who keeps a hurdy-gurdy house on Main street, was complained of by his neighbors as a public nuisance. He was examined yesterday before Justice Scott, and fined $20 and costs, amounting in the aggregate to $45, for keeping a public nuisance. A great deal of interest was manifested in the trial, and the Justice’s office and the sidewalk in front of it were crowded with persons desirous of hearing the evidence.
“A great deal of interest was manifested in the trial and the Justice's office and the sidewalk in front of it was crowded with persons desirous of hearing the evidence.”
In 1876, Main Street was the heart of Seattle's social and commercial life, where 'hurdy-gurdy houses' (often synonymous with dance halls or houses of ill-repute) served as the primary source of nightlife. Today, Main Street runs through the heart of Pioneer Square, and the tension between residential quiet and the city's vibrant, sometimes raucous, nightlife culture remains a persistent, evolving debate.
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