Mary E. Thompson (died 1892) was one of the richest early African Americans in Seattle, Washington. She owned the Minnehaha Saloon, located at 319 Jackson street, which had a brothel upstairs.
Thompson is reported to have died in Oakland, California."Very Peculiar Will: It provokes a Contest Among Negroes For a Saloon," The Seattle Post-Intelligencer, January 18, 1893, pg 5. At the time of her death she owned real estate in Seattle and Butte, Montana. She also had a horse and carriage, an extensive jewellery collection, and $20,000 in cash. By the standards of the time, this made her quite wealthy.
Following Thompson's death, the Minnehaha Saloon was torn down in April 1894."Secret Halls and Rooms: Arrangement of an Opium Smoking Join Exposed," The Seattle Post-Intelligencer, April 18, 1894, pg 8.
References
External links HistoryLink.org, the online encyclopedia of Washington State History