For Frances Taylor ’27, the Lancaster Vice project checked all the right boxes. The research initiative offered an opportunity to collaborate with a faculty mentor whose work they had long admired, explore how their two majors converge in the real world, and unearth stories the city had forgotten.

“I enjoy learning about hidden history that popular culture often overlooks,” said Taylor, who hails from Baltimore and is double majoring in public health and women’s, gender and sexuality studies at Franklin & Marshall College. “I find it important and necessary to tell the stories of people whose experiences are rarely told and remembered.”

Bringing those forgotten narratives to light is the core mission of Lancaster Vice. Led by Alison Kibler, professor of American studies and women’s, gender and sexuality studies, Lancaster Vice investigates the city’s history as “wide open” for vice in the early 1900s. Police and other officials encouraged and even participated in prostitution, gambling, and drinking. During Prohibition, Lancaster law enforcement ignored mammoth illegal distilleries, breweries and saloons, and refused to cooperate with federal agents.

“It seems more fitting for New York City or Philadelphia, but this hidden history really is Lancaster history — contrary to Lancaster County's contemporary reputation as conservative and wholesome,” Kibler said. 

Kibler specializes in the history of popular culture, particularly during the turn of the twentieth century. Her work on Lancaster Vice began when she discovered a LancasterHistory archive of  notes from undercover investigators who visited Lancaster annually from 1913-1916.

Over the years, Kibler has enlisted students like Taylor to help uncover more of that infamous past. By examining a wide array of primary sources — including newspaper databases, public census records, and local archives — student researchers help Kibler transform this raw data into public storytelling. Lancaster Vice now features two walking tours — the Backstreet Brothel Tour delves into the city's history of brothels, and the Brew-Haha Tour charts its brewing heritage and opposition to Prohibition — alongside a blog and a podcast that currently has 10 episodes and over 2,700 downloads.

“I enjoy the teamwork that emerges over the summer,” Kibler said. “I learn a great deal by collaborating with these talented students. They motivate me to get a lot more done.”

Taylor was eager to contribute to that collaborative summer momentum.

“Getting the opportunity to work on the project and grow my knowledge and relationship with Professor Kibler has been amazing,” Taylor said.

Alongside fellow Diplomats Caitlin Bonner ’28 and Sara Smith ’28, a 2026 Rouse Scholar, Taylor spent the summer researching local doctors who provided medical services in brothels in the early 20th century. 

“By combining local newspaper archives and genealogical records, I built biographical profiles exploring their daily lives, political connections, and community standing,” Taylor said. “I contextualized their work by analyzing Pennsylvania health legislation and broader national attitudes toward sex work and STIs (sexually transmitted infections).”

As they dug through historical records, Taylor uncovered more than the past — they caught a glimpse into their future. Taylor, who is also minoring in Classics, is eyeing a career in library sciences, particularly in special collections or archives work. 

“This project gave me experience working in archives and handling archival materials,” Taylor said. “It has helped me grow my research, critical thinking, and time management skills.”

Real-World Learning in the Heart of Lancaster

Diplomats don’t simply live in Lancaster — we are intricately woven into the fabric of our community. Just like Frances Taylor ’27, you’ll collaborate with faculty mentors and local partners, igniting creative collisions that make real-world learning a hallmark of the F&M experience.

Experience Lancaster »