The 'Unsinkable Molly Brown'

[Andrew Clarkson]

Known as the “Unsinkable Molly Brown,” Margaret Tobin Brown defied the social conventions of her day to make waves long before she ever stepped foot on the Titanic — and her story will be brought to life Saturday afternoon at the Cañon City Public Library.

“The Molly Brown of myth and legend is often portrayed as an eccentric character, a social outcast who struggled for recognition,” said Mary Jane Bradford, the storyteller who will portray Brown during the free Chautauqua event. “Even her name is fiction, as she was not called Molly in her lifetime.”

Brown, 1867-1932, was a reformer, activist and philanthropist. A world traveler, she epitomized the reform era’s “Today Woman” as she used her wealth and education to work for the social, political and labor reform critical to the early decades of the 20th century.

Born in Hannibal, Missouri, to Irish immigrants, Brown moved to Leadville at the age of 18. There, she worked in a department store before meeting and marrying James Joseph Brown in 1886. Brown was a first-class passenger on the ill-fated RMS Titanic when it sank on April 15, 1912. She helped others board lifeboats, but finally was convinced to leave the ship in Lifeboat No. 6.

Brown gained fame and her honorary title of “Unsinkable Molly Brown” for her efforts to get her lifeboat to go back to look for survivors. After the Titanic sank, she and several other women passengers took control of the boat, rowing “too keep warm,” while actually heading back against the demands of the head crewman to seek survivors in the water.

Despite her fame as being unsinkable, Brown’s life was a tapestry of threads woven together to bring about much-needed change in early 1900s America.

“Brown was so much more than I knew,” said Susan Ooton, Cañon City director of libraries and museums. “She ran for Senate twice, was a genuine Suffragette, and was awarded the French Legion of Honor for her work in World War II.”

Bradford draws on more than 20 years as an actress, speaker, educator and author to bring history to life. She is a Chautauqua speaker for the Colorado Humanities and recently performed here as Augusta “Baby Doe” Tabor. Ooton said she is excited to see Bradford return in another role.

“This is part of our Meet the History Makers Series, the most successful set of programs we’ve produced since I’ve been here,” Ooton said.

Saturday’s performance is sponsored by the Cañon City Ladies and Gents Library Association. The event begins at 2 p.m. in the library, 516 Macon Ave. Everyone is welcome; no admission fee will be charged.

For more information, call the library at 269-9020.

Source: http://www.canoncitydailyrecord.com