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| Molly Brown House |
Her real name was Margaret or Maggie she never went by the name “Molly,” the press dubbed her this long after she had passed away.
She did not marry her husband James or as she called him “J.J.” for his money--he was as poor as she was when they first met and married.
Another myth that has been
circulated is that the Browns were so wealthy they burned money.
The real story is that when J.J. first was paid good money as a mining engineer in Leadville--he brought the pay packet of cash home and hid it in the stove so he could surprise Margaret--she lit the stove not knowing about the money inside.
It is said that Maggie “just fell into high society “after J.J. struck it rich in the Colorado silver mines.
Actually, Margaret gained her standing as a Denver socialite because she was persistent. She learned to speak three languages, and she was the first woman in the county to run for the U.S. Senate in 1909.
The real story is that when J.J. first was paid good money as a mining engineer in Leadville--he brought the pay packet of cash home and hid it in the stove so he could surprise Margaret--she lit the stove not knowing about the money inside.
It is said that Maggie “just fell into high society “after J.J. struck it rich in the Colorado silver mines.
Actually, Margaret gained her standing as a Denver socialite because she was persistent. She learned to speak three languages, and she was the first woman in the county to run for the U.S. Senate in 1909.
Margaret was a hero as the
Titanic sank. When the officer in charge of the lifeboat she was in lost
control, she rallied the other women, and they rowed the boat.
One myth is that Maggie used the fame she gained from her heroism while the Titanic sank for personal gain. This is not true.
Few women were allowed to testify at the Titanic Inquiry held after the disaster--Margaret persistent's allowed her to speak.
After this, she used her newfound fame to speak out on issues, such as labor rights, women’s suffrage, and children’s literacy.
One myth is that Maggie used the fame she gained from her heroism while the Titanic sank for personal gain. This is not true.
Few women were allowed to testify at the Titanic Inquiry held after the disaster--Margaret persistent's allowed her to speak.
After this, she used her newfound fame to speak out on issues, such as labor rights, women’s suffrage, and children’s literacy.
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| 19th century Denver Brown House on right |
The Browns first moved to Denver from Leadville in 1894, they bought the home in Denver, that later was to become the Molly Brown Museum. They lived in the
house for 15 years.
By 1909 they were separated, and Margaret took sole ownership of the house. Her and J. J. never officially divorced.
After this, she rarely lived there. Molly rented the home out and became a world traveler.
In 1892, the home was used as the Governor’s Mansion. In the years after Margaret's death in 1932, the house was sold to one owner after another--each time falling more and more into disrepair.
By 1909 they were separated, and Margaret took sole ownership of the house. Her and J. J. never officially divorced.
After this, she rarely lived there. Molly rented the home out and became a world traveler.
In 1892, the home was used as the Governor’s Mansion. In the years after Margaret's death in 1932, the house was sold to one owner after another--each time falling more and more into disrepair.
By the 1950s the neighborhood
and home were in significant decline. In the 1970s, a group called Historic Denver restored the mansion to its original 1910 splendor.
The home has been a museum that gives tours, ever since.
Both visitors and museum volunteers began to notice the home is haunted. I visited the “Molly Brown House” in the early The 1990s, the tour was informative--but our guide was unwilling to talk about “ghosts.”
The home has been a museum that gives tours, ever since.
Both visitors and museum volunteers began to notice the home is haunted. I visited the “Molly Brown House” in the early The 1990s, the tour was informative--but our guide was unwilling to talk about “ghosts.”
Two of the ghosts that remain are
Margaret and her husband, James.
J.J. is not seen, but the scent of his pipe is often noticed in the home’s basement and attic. This is ironic because while J.J. lived in the home Maggie never let him smoke inside.
Besides doors opening and shutting on their own, many witnesses have seen the blinds open and close on their own in the bedroom that was once Helens--Margaret’s daughter.
Margaret’s mother has also been spotted standing at the window of her old bedroom.
J.J. is not seen, but the scent of his pipe is often noticed in the home’s basement and attic. This is ironic because while J.J. lived in the home Maggie never let him smoke inside.
Besides doors opening and shutting on their own, many witnesses have seen the blinds open and close on their own in the bedroom that was once Helens--Margaret’s daughter.
Margaret’s mother has also been spotted standing at the window of her old bedroom.
A mysterious apparition
that is seen in the house is that of a woman who wears a long Victorian dress. She
is seen sitting at the dining room table, and she is known to rearrange the
chairs in this area. This ghost has been captured on film.
Another ghost is observed walking
around the second floor of the house--it is speculated that this is Maggie or
possibly her mother.
In the mid-2000s a tour guide, Demetrius O’Connor, who was closing the house for the day, was walking on the back stairs when he felt an icy breeze.
When he turned the corner, he spotted a second-floor window open in one of the bedrooms. He shut the window, and as he was replacing the rope that cordons off the room from visitors entering it, he noticed a shadow of a woman on the ground next to his. When he turned to see who it was, no one was there.
Update: recently the house has been completely renovated. Some state the activity has become heightened because of this.
The following video was captured when a police officer responded to a report there was an intruder in the home. The figure in the room is believed to be Molly Brown--I will leave it to the reader to decide if this is faked or real.
In the mid-2000s a tour guide, Demetrius O’Connor, who was closing the house for the day, was walking on the back stairs when he felt an icy breeze.
When he turned the corner, he spotted a second-floor window open in one of the bedrooms. He shut the window, and as he was replacing the rope that cordons off the room from visitors entering it, he noticed a shadow of a woman on the ground next to his. When he turned to see who it was, no one was there.
Update: recently the house has been completely renovated. Some state the activity has become heightened because of this.
The following video was captured when a police officer responded to a report there was an intruder in the home. The figure in the room is believed to be Molly Brown--I will leave it to the reader to decide if this is faked or real.
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