Once a bustling bordello in Fort Smith’s early days, the former Miss Laura’s Social Club on the banks of the Arkansas River now houses the city’s Visitor Center and the Fort Smith Convention and Visitors Bureau office. The large baroque Victorian building was first built in 1898 by Laura Ziegler, who borrowed $5,000 in loans from local residents, as women could not take out loans at the time. She constructed and furnished the space, then opened its doors in 1903 as one of six row houses that formed Fort Smith’s red-light district.
…
