Madam of the Maritimes

Blain Henshaw

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ISBN: 9781989725634
ITEM: PC0333 Category: Tags: , ,

Madam of the Maritimes

The Life and Times of Ada McCallum

  Author:   Blain Henshaw    
  Publisher:  Pottersfield Press

Here is the fascinating true story of how a poor girl from the Prairies rose above poverty and hardship to become the best known, and seemingly untouchable, madam in this country.

Everyone from housewives to politicians knew her simply as Ada — the renowned madam of Canada’s most notorious brothel at 51 Hollis Street in Halifax.

For more than four decades, Ada Jane McCallum and the women known as her girls offered sex for sale to the local gentry and to thousands of sailors, soldiers, and merchant seamen from around the world as they passed through the port city.

Although she operated an illicit business, Ada was respected and earned a reputation as one who protected and treated her employees well, dealt with her clients with discretion and respect, and cultivated a remarkably tolerant relationship with the powers that be.

Madam of the Maritimes looks into McCallum’s entry into the bustling brothel business during the war years, her three short-lived marriages, and her challenges with the law and Revenue Canada. It provides a look at Ada as seen through the eyes of some who knew her – a prostitute who worked for her for five years, her Halifax hairdresser in the 1950s, a retired judge who sentenced her in his court, an adoring niece, a curious young reporter and an anonymous client. As Ada’s friend and Halifax journalist the late Doug Harkness once said, “She was part of our cultural life.” This story is not about the legality or morality of prostitution. Instead, it is about a respected and generous woman of class and dignity who made a name for herself in the world?s oldest profession.

Details and Specs
ISBN associated with this title: 9781989725634
Item PC0333
PublisherPottersfield Press
PublisherPottersfield Press
Published on September 1 2021
Language ENG
Pages 180
Format Paperback
Dimensions8.5(in) x 5.5(in)
Shipping weight197(g)
Status ACTIVE TITLE
Blain Henshaw is an award-winning journalist, broadcaster, songwriter, and performer. He lives in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, and is a volunteer broadcaster at 105.9 Seaside FM. He is the author of All Hands Lost: The Sinking of the Nova Scotian Gypsum Freighter Novadoc and Rescue at Moose River: Birthplace of On-the-Spot Reporting.