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.”
Olivia is on location with Jamie Melissa Wilms, Director of Education at the Molly Brown House Museum in Denver, Colorado.
Visit the Molly Brown House Museum website to view additional photos, artifacts, educational resources and more.
Special thanks to the Denver Public Library Western History Photographic Collection for the photos of Margaret, her family and her homes.
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
