The Molly Brown House Museum, Denver

The Molly Brown House Museum, 1340 Pennsylvania Street, Denver, was once the home of the Unsinkable Molly Brown. Margaret Brown was an American philanthropist and socialite. She gained her nickname after surviving the sinking of the Titanic. She was one of the survivors in lifeboat 6, and it was she who convinced the others in the lifeboat that they must return to look for more survivors. Unfortunately, by the time she and the other passengers were able to convince the sailors on board to return, there were no survivors to be found.

Margaret Brown led an interesting life, which visitors to the museum can learn about from the informative exhibits that are presented in it. The museum also presents exhibits about the history of Denver. Her former home is now a museum dedicated to her life and to Victorian Denver. The house is also known by the name the House of Lions.

Both Margaret and her husband, J.J. Brown were the children of Irish immigrants to America. Margaret had intended to find a rich man to marry so that she could provide for her family, but she fell in love with J.J. instead. Although she married for love, Margaret Brown did in fact gain the wealth and comfort she had hoped for. A self made, enterprising man, J.J. Brown became rich due to his work in engineering.

Margaret adapted to her new role as a wealthy lady, becoming a philanthropist and immersing herself in the arts. She became a fluent speaker of Russian, French and German. She even ran for the Senate in 1909 and 1914. Margaret was an activist in the women's rights movement, and she also helped in soup kitchens that served the families of miners. She was instrumental in the establishment of the first juvenile court in the United States, and helping Denver's poorest children. During the First World War, Margaret Brown helped the American Committee for Devastated France in the rebuilding of France and the care of wounded soldiers. She was awarded the Legion of Honour.

The house itself is an interesting example of Denver architecture. It was built in the 1880s to the design of the architect, William A Lang. Lang incorporated a number of different styles into the building. Of particular note is the use of the Queen Anne style. The original owners of the property were Mary and Isaac Large. They were forced to sell their home after experiencing severe financial losses. The house was purchased by James Joseph Brown in 1894. In 1898, as J.J.Brown's health deteriorated, he transferred ownership of the property to his wife, Margaret Brown. In 1909, Margaret separated from her husband. It was a cordial separation, and the couple remained friendly for the rest of their lives.

Since Margaret and her family spent much of their time traveling, the house was often rented out. During 1902, for example, it was used as the governor's mansion while the usual home of Colorado's Governor was being remodeled. Later, during the Great Depression, Margaret Brown turned her home into a boarding house, which was run for her by her housekeeper.

Margaret Brown died in 1932, and the house was sold. The new owners found it is disrepair, and had it remodeled. By 1970, the house was in danger of being demolished. In order to save it, a group of Denver citizens formed an organization, Historic Denver Inc, in order to raise the funds required to restore the property. The restoration work proceeded extremely carefully in order to create an accurate reconstruction of the house. Photographs from 1910, analysis of paint chips and architectural research were used to determine how best to restore the property.

The house can be visited to view the exhibits and see the restoration work. Exhibitions cover such topics as the sinking of the Titanic, the philanthropy of Margaret Brown and the history of Denver. Tours of the museum are conducted daily and there are also some interesting programs for both children and adults. These programs can provide classroom resources for schools, but they also conduct interesting educational activities on the property itself.