Hell's Half Acre (Fort Worth) facts for kids

Hell's Half Acre was a precinct of Fort Worth, Texas which came to be called the town's "Bloody Third ward" because of the violence and lawlessness in the area.

History

Fort Worth, Texas in 1876

The area developed in the 1870s as a rest stop on the cattle trails from Texas through Kansas. It quickly became populated with saloons and other vice dens. The half-acre block was originally designated from Tenth Street to Fifteenth Street while intersecting with Houston Street, Main Street, and Rusk Street with Throckmorton and Calhoun streets established as boundaries.

At its peak, Hell's Half Acre consisted of boarding houses, gambling parlours, hotels, saloons, and a sparse assortment of mercantile businesses. It became a hide-out for thieves and violent criminals. The twenty-two thousand square foot ward caught the glimpse of such Old West personalities as Bat Masterson, Butch Cassidy, Doc Holliday, Etta Place, Luke Short, Sam Bass, Sundance Kid, and Wyatt Earp. This led to crackdowns by law enforcement though they rarely interfered with the gambling and other vice operations in the area. The Acre was an important source of income for the town, and despite outside pressures against the illegal activities, Fort Worth officials were reluctant to take action.

The city's most famous saloon was the White Elephant, technically located just outside of the Acre. The venue was known as much for its elegance and live entertainment as for its gun fights and often illegal dealings.

In 1889, following serious bouts of violence in the city, officials shut down many of the activities that were deemed as most directly contributing to the violence. By the start of the 20th century, the Acre's popularity as a destination for out-of-town visitors had diminished dramatically. The Progressive movement of the early 20th century put increasing pressure on the area. By 1919, Fort Worth's "Third Ward" was disavowed as a den of iniquity due to the law enforcement efforts of Jim Courtright and the Protestant orations of John Franklyn Norris.