Minnie
The Death Story
This is the "Rhode Island Street Brothel Ghost". The ghost that has been seen here is referred to as Minnie. The cause of her death is unknown and her life story is quite vague. Minnie is red haired girl who was been seen in two houses on the same street, wearing provocative clothing. The homeowner who encountered the ghost did research and found that the house was owned by her in 1890 when it most likely was a brothel.
Behavior and Manifestations
During the turn of the twentieth century the ghost was seen by homeowner at night and then by the neighbor who thought someone had broken in to their home. So the ghost has opened doors and is visible to people.
Full Story Excerpt
During the turn of the twentieth century, the portion of Rhode Island
Street immediately south of the Kaw River was a lively manufacturing
hub, home to a variety of mills, factories and commercial railroad lines.
Given that Lawrence’s manufacturing industry declined in importance long
ago, the neighborhood today is rather quiet. But in at least one of the houses
located along the street, a rather active—and provocative—spirit keeps the
excitement of yesteryear alive, so to speak.
According to the homeowner of the house in question, one night, while
she and her husband were sleeping, she was awakened by some sort of
phantasm at the foot of the bed. * This spirit, described by the homeowner
as a “buxom” redhead, danced “provocatively” and then dissipated into
the inky darkness of the night. The homeowner’s husband unfortunately
failed to see the ghost because he was unable to move—a victim of possible
sleep paralysis.
Almost immediately following this incident, the couple’s next-door
neighbor called the police; he claimed to have seen “someone with red hair,
in skimpy shorts and a tank top” in the house, and he feared that someone
may have broken in. When the police arrived, they found no evidence of a
break in and certainly no scantily clad lady.
After the bizarre incident, the homeowner did some research and learned
that, around 1890, the house was co-owned by a woman whose name was
Minnie. The current homeowner also uncovered evidence suggesting the
house may have served the area as a brothel around this time. With this
knowledge in mind, the homeowner and her husband decided to refer to the
spirit as “Miss Minnie, the brothel ghost.”
Another less scandalous spirit is also reported to live in the house. This
ghost is of an older woman who sits in a rocking chair and peers out of
the building’s south window. According to the homeowners, “She sits in
her rocker as though watching the world pass by.” This spirit is particularly
mobile, and the homeowner claims to have once had to move out of its way
as it meandered its way up the stairs, carrying its rocking chair with it.
What is interesting about this last ghost is that the current owners of the
house might not have been the first to see it. In May 1992, an individual
who lived on Rhode Island Street contacted the Douglas County Historical
Society about a possible ghost sighting. The society made note of this and
placed a record in its archives. This record states the spirit is “a woman
dressed in a long dress, seated in front of the window. She appears to be
doing some type of needlework with her hands.” Is this the same ghost as the
one reported in Rhode Island Street brothel house? Perhaps.
📚 This story appears in the book *Haunted Lawrence* on pages 41–42.