Today she rests peacefully in an unmarked grave at the center of the city that once abhorred her. But in the 1880s, Fannie Roos's life was anything but peaceful. Street brawls, kidnappings, murders, and prison escapes: Fannie was at the center of it all.
Meet the woman who, for a decade, stood at the center of Shreveport's vice district.
The Grave
Fannie's grave today is unmarked and unknown. But all evidence points to her being buried in Oakland Cemetery, the city burying ground when she died in 1890. Photo by Tarah Thomas.
The City
The 1899 Fireman Parade on Texas Street in downtown Shreveport. Fannie was arrested during a similar event on the same street in 1883 when she displayed herself in a manner to attract attention on the balcony of her brothel. Photo courtesy of Twin Blends Photography, researched by them in the LSUS Archives and Special Collections at Noel Memorial Library. View the original post by Twin Blends here.
Texsas Street in the 1890s. Fannie died in 1890, but the area would have looked similar during her life. Fannie's brothel was located on Texas St at an earlier time, but at the time of her death it was located on Strand St. Photo courtesy of Twin Blends Photography, researched by them at the LSUS Archives and Special Collections at Noel Memorial Library. View the original post here.
The Lifestyle
An undated photo from inside an unknown 19th Century brothel. Fannie's brothel may have looked similarly. Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
The Headlines
"Fannie Roos Again" was a common headline in Shreveport in the 1880s. This particular article is from the July 11th, 1889, issue of The Shreveport Weekly Times. Photo courtesy of The Shreveport Weekly Times and Newspapers.com.
The End
Fannie's death in the city death registry. Hers is the only death on the 21st and is under the name Lillie Duncan. Record researched by Tarah Thomas at Shreve Memorial Library, Genealogy Department, Broadmoor Branch.
The second page of the death register featuring Fannie's death. The line for her death notes in parenthesis "Known in Shreveport as Fannie Roos." Record researched by Tarah Thomas at Shreve Memorial Library, Genealogy Department, Broadmoor Branch.
After a life loudly lived, Fannie Roos now rests quietly in an unknown grave in the city of Shreveport, likely in Oakland Cemetery, where she once hid a horse for her husband to use in his escape from jail.
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