She was never "Molly"

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So, I took my friend Mark's advice (thank you!) and went to visit the Molly Brown House Museum today. It was a bit of a walk from the hotel, up hill, but not too bad. The museum does tours every 1/2 hour, so I had to wait a bit, but it was worth it. The house has been restored to how it would have looked circa 1910. Why 1910? Because the Browns hosted a lavish event that year and there was incredible photographic records (lost for a while and then found when they were starting restoration) of the house. Of course, the photos were black and white, but apparently Mrs. Brown had put color schemes and other info on the back of the photos so the restorers had a lot to work with. Unfortunately, for those pesky insurance reasons, no photos are allowed inside the house, so sorry, no pictures today.

My rememberance of my knowledge of "Molly" Brown was pretty superficial, but as the tour guide spoke, things came back to me. And I have to tell you, she sounds like a pretty cool lady. Margaret Tobin was born in Hannibal, MO, moved to Leadville Colorado at 18 where she met and married JJ Brown. He apparently was very inventive and influentinial in mining circles. When the Leadville mine they owned struck gold, the family moved to Denver. Margaret became active in a variety of social causes and this caused a split between her and JJ, and eventually they separated, with Margaret, the children and her parents staying in the house in Denver.

The version of the Titanic story that sticks in my mind most clearly is the Broadway musical one of a few years ago. And Mrs. Brown isn't even mentioned in that one, so I've never really connected her with the Titanic all that much. Most people will remember her from the Titanic movie, but according to our tour guide, she was quite as abrasive as Kathy Bates portrayed her. And she wasn't some backwater ignorant redneck. At the time of the Titanic sinking she spoke 6 languages and acted as a translator and advocate for the immigrant widows who survived the wreck.

The house is gorgeous, with ornate stained glass windows, an incredible wooden staircase and the elaborate painted ceilings typical of the time. And it was a technological marvel. Steam heat, telephone AND electricity. During the 1920's Margaret converted the house to a boarding house and moved to NY, where she taught and acted on the Broadway stage. When she died in 1932, she was buried next to her estranged husband, who had died in NYC in 1922. The house was sold by the children and remained a boarding house until the 1970's when the entire block was scheduled to be demolished. Fortunately, Historic Denver, Inc. was formed and the house was saved and restored.

So, how come we all know her as "Molly"? The original headlines and press coverage following the Titanic disaster all refer to her as the Unsinkable Maggie Brown. But in the 1930's, after her death, a short story writer prefered Molly and that misnomer has been carried through the century. While I like the name Molly, I am sorry that she's not been called correctly for all these years.

After leaving the museum, I wandered back over to the state capitol. I was going to take a tour of it, but since I hate metal detectors, I walked right back out! Went back to the 16th Street Mall and took the free shuttle bus to the "Money Museum". Turns out, that's in the Federal Reserve Bank Building, and since it was another metal detector, I left there too!

Got back on the shuttle bus and went almost to the end of the line to Wynkopf Street. Walked along there to a pedestrian bridge over the South Platte River. From the look of things, Denver is one of the areas of the country that can use some rain, there was almost no water flowing! Crossed the bridge and saw the Pepsi Center (can someone tell me what team plays there?) and then recrossed the river a bit further up to head back to 16th Street and back to the hotel.

We leave at 8 am tomorrow morning for Rapid City, but I will try and check in tomorrow night after the 400 mile bus ride!

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Comments

[Mike Hicks]

"Molly" Brown
That's very interesting about Maggie Brown! I had no idea that was her real name. Sounds like you're having fun with the metal detectors! ;-)

[David Dial]

Hey Mindy, Mark and I just read this and we simply cannot believe that you do not get paid for writing such wonderful critiques/commentaries. Mark still loves his memories of the Margaret Brown House, and I\'ve been happy to experience it through both of you. Mark was particularly intrigued by the notion of fainting couches and the fact that Molly sported a corset-induced 17" waist. What an amazing commentary on the times in which she lived.

[Haviva]

Answer to your question
Dear Mindy, I am not sure if you have gotten your answer, so I looked it up. If I am reading my information correctly, the Pepsi Center is shared; The nuggets (basketball), The Avalanche (Hockey), The Mammoth (Lacrosse) and The Rapids (Soccer) all share the Pepsi Center. It is possible, although the website was not fun to review, that they have concerts and other events there as well. Taylor Swift had a concert on September 27th, for example. (The Rockies -- baseball -- play at Coors Field.) Hope this helps.

[Mindy]

question
doesn't anybody recognize a rhetorical question when they see one?