Remember the Federal Whore House of Madame Tapp?
Remember the Federal Whore House of Madame Tapp?
Madame Tapp, Bawdy House Proprietor, 120 Maryland Avenue, SW, Washington, DC
In 1880, Washington, D.C. had a population of roughly 177,000 people, which is about 1/3 of today… As is the case now, society, whether we like to admit it or not, calls for a certain percentage of that population to serve as whores! Among the more well known keepers of “bawdy houses,” Madam Tapp most definitely operated a “famous house” at 120 Maryland Avenue, SW, about a block or so from the west front of the capitol building—now the site of FEMA or some other such Agency.
Known more so by her alias, the infamous Prostitute was also known as Elizabeth Tapp, Eliza Tapp, Lizzie Tapp, Elizabeth Cleary, Lizzie Clarey, Eliza Clary, but most common just Madame Tapp. As early as 1866, Eliza Tapp was dealing in retail liquors in southwest Washington D.C., about a block or two from the capitol—reporting roughly $250 in profits according to the 1866 Federal Income Tax Schedule. Living with her at the time was a man named George Tapp, but there is no indication as to their precise relationship—nor does his record surface after 1866.
Through the 1870s it suspected that Madame Tapp went on with her liquor sales as the newspapers available digitally today begin in the late 1870s where we find articles such as the following:
When exactly her house went from unlicensed to disreputable, we are unsure, but, no doubt, Madame Tapp had been smart enough to earn her living for quite sometime. Regardless, “Elizabeth Clary, alias Tapp,” had sold enough beer and liquor unlicensed by 1879 to qualify herself as a U.S. Internal Revenue Case. However, a few months after this surfaced, Justice Hagner of the Criminal Court recommended the dismissal of “Elizabeth Clearly, alias Tapp…”’s internal revenue case.
Madam Tapp was silent or apparently “paid off” well until roughly August 1881:
Now the site of a memorial or something, Madam Tapp, apparently operated at 218 D Street, probably southwest, which is just a few blocks from where her famous house would be established. Tapp’s “bawdy house” was talked about in court from August through October that year. Shortly after this raid, Tapp removed her business to 120 Maryland Avenue, SW, Washington D.C. where she would be established throughout the 1880s, even listed in the City Directory simply as “Tapp, Eliza. 120 Maryland Avenue.” Tapp would continue to be raided throughout her career, but the precise conclusions are unknown at this time…
And while there are degrees of excitement, something tells us that the former site of Madame Tapp’s establishment, her “bawdy house” was far more exciting than the park or agency action there today. We make it our business to honor all who affected the built environment in some interesting manner—whores included. Perhaps Madame Tapp would enjoy a more lucrative business in Washington today or maybe she would reassign her skill set to some Agency, as she had already been doing a Federal job.!?
