Margaret Brown (who was renamed Molly after her death by the playwright Meredith Wilson) is often cited as the quintessential American rags-to-riches story. Born to poor Irish immigrants in Missouri, Margaret went on to become one of the wealthiest women in the country. She cemented her place in history through her heroism on the disastrous maiden voyage of the Titanic, but her life story is a compelling and unusual tale of character, compassion and just the right amount of bull-headedness. Her story is fully worthy of the many films, books and musicals which have born her name (even if that isn’t really her name, and most don’t in any way resemble her real story). Discover the remarkable woman behind the myth of the “Unsinkable Molly Brown.”
Our guest is Jamie Melissa Wilms, Director of Education at the Molly Brown House Museum in Denver, Colorado. Interview recorded on location.
Visit the Molly Brown House Museum website to view additional photos, artifacts, educational resources and more.
Guest Jamie Melissa Wilms was Director of Education at the Molly Brown House Museum in Denver, Colorado from 2013-2018 and is now the Executive Director of the Denver Firefighter’s Museum. She has a BA in American History/Public Administration from Northern Michigan University, an MA in Historical Administration/American History from Eastern Illinois University, and has worked in the museum field for over fifteen years in locations across the United States.
Music featured in this episode included:“Bunch of Green Rushes” by Killarney
“Boys of Pleasure/Pull the Knife and Stick It In Again” by Killarney
“The Gander in James McMahon’s Pratie Hole” by Andy Reiner and Jon Sousa
“Gold Rush” by Marc Nelson
“She Left Me Standing on a Mountain” by The Earth Stringband
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THE ABOLITIONIST Ellen Garrison
THE BYZANTINE Irene of Athens
THE BUTTERFLY IN THE SUN Mata Hari
THE COUNTERFEIT COUNTESS Janina Mehlberg
THE VOYAGER Hannah Masury Howe
THE SOLID CITIZEN Frances Perkins
THE EQUESTRIAN Anna Sewell
THE GUNG-HO ORIGINAL Helen Foster Snow
CHRISTMAS IN SWEDEN Selma Lagerlöf
THE WILD CHILD Alice Roosevelt
THE BOSTON BRAHMIN Ethel Gibson Allen
THE BLOOD COUNTESS Elizabeth Báthory
THE MONGOL KHATUN Genghis Khan's Daughters
THE QUEEN OF HAITI Marie-Louise Christophe
THE ANTI-FASCIST Gerda Taro
THE CLEANING LADY Seraphine of Senlis
THE WESTERN WOMAN Rattlesnake Kate Slaughterback
THE WOMAN KING Hatshepsut
THE PUNA HELE Mary Kawena Puku'i
THE ACCUSED Clara Ford
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