Chrysalis Cocoon: "It's Belle's, B*tches"

Belle's Cocktail House, Lexington, Kentucky

It's been a minute since I've mentioned Lexington's beloved Belle Brezing, the madam with a heard of gold (the inspiration for Belle Watling in Gone With The Wind).

I think my last post on her was here, in 2017, but my original post about her was on my first blog in 2005 (now defunct) - but we've learned so much more about her since then that I plan to write a new post on what we've learned since.

The first time I heard of Belle was walking down Upper Street in about 1996, when I noticed a small historical plaque in front of a row house, stating that it was her first "house of ill repute."

"Whaaaat?" says I.

"This snap-judgmental, church-on-every-corner town that pretends to be perfect has an historical plaque to a madam tucked away on Transylvania University's campus? Well, isn't that just like Lexington."

It was very much like finding out during my college years "The Bar" - Lexington's 3-story-complex upscale gay bar, drag show, and dance floor - sitting quietly on main street for the last 40 years!

(They still have the best dance floor in town, glass ceiling on the third floor!)

Upon returning home, I asked my grandmother about Belle Brezing and she said she didn't know, but she knew who did - the Church Lady in Chief at her local Baptist Church.

"Whaatt?" again, says I.

"The same church lady who ran two lesbians out of their Baptist church? Yeah, this'll be fun and include a fire-and-brimstone sin lecture. "

Actually ... no.

Surprisingly, she didn't.

In fact, she privately revered Belle!

She possessed the only known book on her at the time, written in 1983 by Buddy Thompson, which she let me borrow.

Since then we've uncovered so much more and there are a plethora of books on her - and it would seem that some things Buddy got right, some he got wrong, and some can't be verified (like visiting St. Joseph Hospital in a hooded cloak to help the nurses or trying to donate her rare book collection to UK, only to be rejected, until she later donated anonymously).

We do know for a fact,, however, that when St. Joseph Hospital had a fire, she donated new linens for the entire hospital (and it was rumored she helped finance the rebuild, again, anonymously, so it can't be verified.

Regardless, I was completely shocked - the Church Lady in Chief at my grandmother's Southern Baptist church had a book on/revered Belle Brezing?

I think because as women especially, I guess, you feel for her - because she was dealt a horrible hand in life and had limited options at the time, but did the best with it she could.

I was also shocked at how much Belle accomplished, though much of it anonymously, and how she was still kept as somewhat of a secret you only talked about in private conversation still, at the time (late 90s).

The whole thing intrigued me.

Also, the fact that she was so charitable, donating much to St. Joseph Hospital (she was Catholic) and the local poor - she really was the madam with the heart of gold and known nationally for running the "most orderly of disorderly houses," because of the horse business.

So then in the late 2000s - which was after I'd written my first post on her in 2005, based on Buddy's book, mind you - interest in her exploded, to the degree that we now have a play based on her life, a regional beer named after her, a hotel room named after her, and finally, a rooftop cocktail bar named after her called "Belle's."

Genealogists and historians have now researched more about her and her life, with documents and news articles uncovered, and I plan on ordering their books soon.

I haven't yet been to Belle's, but plan to go when the weather is warmer - but if you're in Lexington and are interested, HERE is their website and some photos are below.

Let me just give you a heads up, though - the bar has a dance floor and is very LGBTQ friendly, so you'll see a mix there - love it!