Here in Shingles, Colorado, we’re known for our small-town hospitality, Emma Karney’s prize-winning rhubarb pie, and our yearly crawfish derby. We’re a small community that doesn’t often spend time touting our accomplishments. Still, we here at the Shingles Historical Society want to acknowledge an invaluable piece of our history: the town’s beloved glory-hole.
The Shingles Glory-Hole might seem like a simple opening cut into the wall of a long-abandoned flower shop wherein men would place their sexual organs and be pleasured by a hidden stranger, but we assure you that this “cock-chasm,” as some of the locals call it, was so much more.
As early as 1881, Morgan’s Flowers and its accompanying glory-hole was a popular destination for the sexually curious. Poet and playwright Oscar Wilde visited the location on his tour of America and reportedly found the service “Extraordinary!” He further remarked, “I came to this tiny hamlet in the middle of America to rest my weary head. And while I did not rest, I was also not disappointed.” Other famous visitors to the Shingles Glory-Hole include infamous gangster Al Capone, President Lyndon Johnson, and Full House’s Bob Saget.
Our hope at the Historical Society is to collect enough donations so that we may restore our glory-hole to its original condition. We should also mention that while the glory-hole will NOT be operational once restored, the adjoining flower shop will be converted into a museum devoted to the lecherous location’s history, complete with wax historical figures and Instagrammable opportunities.
So if you enjoy Americana and recognize the importance of history, please consider helping to restore our beloved glory-hole, which is not to be confused with the crater just outside of Shingles named for infamous dynamite enthusiast Erasmus Glory.