“Little Las Vegas,” “Little Chicago,” “the hottest spot on the railroad line”–that was Middlesboro in the 1940s. It was a kingdom unto itself, and island of license set in the midst of the Bible Belt, and its undisputed rulers were Floyd Ball and his little brother Alvey.  The country just staggering out of the Great Depression and into a world war, yet in Middlesboro the Balls did not count their money, they literally measured it. Other places might be just beginning to turn on the lights again, but on Middlesboro’s 19th Street it was a 24-hour-a-day party, with drink flowing freely, slot machines in every establishment, and prostitutes who considered Middlesboro the best and most profitable spot on “the circuit.” The splendid Cumberland Hotel hosted multiple conventions, while the Marboro, Middlesboro, Bruce, Friends, Walbash, and Majestic Hotels provided a popular base for many traveling salesmen who worked in the area, though several were better known for their girls than for their rooms, and it was sometimes difficult to engage a bed for a full night’s rest.This was an excerpt from The Magic City:Footnotes to the History of Middlesborough, Kentucky, and the Yellow Creek Valley by Ann Dudley Matheny. The Magic City: Footnotes to the History of Middlesborough, Kentucky, and the Yellow Creek Valley is available in our gift shop and on the website. Pick up your copy today and let it take you back to Middlesborough when it was well known as the “Little Las Vegas.”