Augusta Tabor

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Augusta Pierce Tabor

Augusta Pierce Tabor (March 29, 1833 – January 30, 1895) was the wife of a merchant and miner, Horace Tabor, the first white woman to live in the Idaho Springs mining camp, and a Denver philanthropist. She was inducted into the Colorado Women's Hall of Fame in 1991 for her contributions to social service and philanthropy.[1]

Early life

Augusta Pierce was born in Augusta, Maine on March 29, 1833.[2][3] Her father, William B. Pierce,[4] owned a quarry[2][3] and was a contractor. Tabor, one of ten children and the third of seven girls, suffered poor health during her childhood.[2] She had a lovely figure, thick dark hair and was determined and charming.[5] Tabor was a debutante, grew up in a pampered lifestyle, and believed in women's rights.[6] She was the cousin of Franklin Pierce, president of the United States.[7]

Marriage

William B. Pierce hired Horace Tabor to supervisor stone-cutters who worked on the construction of a mental institution (called an insane asylum at the time) in Augusta, Maine. Augusta Pierce met Horace and they fell in love.[8][9] Augusta and Horace made a plan to move west to Kansas Territory to help populate the territory with anti-slavery supporters. First, though, Horace traveled to Kansas and worked to save money to get married.[10] He arrived with other members of the New England Emigrant Aid Company in 1855.[11][12] Horace worked at Fort Riley as a stonemason,[12] and he fought with others to defend the town of Lawrence against pro-slavery men during the Sacking of Lawrence.[13]

A member of the Free Soil Party,[14] Tabor was elected to the Topeka Legislature.[12][14]

Augusta was married to Horace Tabor on January 31, 1857, becoming Augusta Tabor.[15][16] After their marriage at her family's home in Maine, the couple farmed for two years along Deep Creek in Zeandale, Kansas (known today as Tabor Valley).[12][15][16] They had a son named Nathaniel Maxcy,[12] who was also known as Maxey.[17]

Colorado

Augusta and Horace Tabor's house in Leadville
Leadville mining
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People
Mines
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Augusta and Horace Tabor lived in the Idaho Springs mining camp before moving to Leadville. The Tabors established a store and Augusta made money as a washerwoman and as a landlady to boarders. Horace mined for gold in the mountains of Colorado and in 1878, after 20 years, he struck a silver vein that made US$10,000 (equivalent to $315,724 in 2023) per day.[1]

The Tabors established a mansion in

lieutenant governor later in 1878. The 20-room mansion, built at Eighteenth and Broadway for $40,000 (equivalent to $1,262,897 in 2023), was operated as a boarding house after Horace left her for Elizabeth "Baby Doe" McCourt. Augusta was landlady for up to 14 people at a time and was engaged in community activities, such as contributing to civic projects and charities and hosting fund-raising events. Tabor was particularly involved in the Pioneer Ladies Aid Society.[1]

In culture

With then-husband Horace, Augusta was a co-developer of the Tabor Grand Opera House (1881), Denver's first opera-quality theatrical performance space. Augusta Tabor is a major character in the opera The Ballad of Baby Doe by Douglas Moore and John Latouche; the role was created by Martha Lipton at the opera's 1956 premiere.[18] A noted interpreter of the part was Frances Bible, who recorded it in 1961.[19]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c "Augusta Pierce Tabor". Colorado Women's Hall of Fame. Retrieved January 22, 2015.
  2. ^
    ISBN 978-1-55566-214-1
    .
  3. ^ a b "Augusta Tabor" (PDF). History Colorado. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 23, 2015. Retrieved January 22, 2015.
  4. ^ "Augusta Mental Health Institute". Women's History Month, Augusta, Maine. The University of Maine. 2002. Archived from the original on January 16, 2015. Retrieved January 23, 2015.
  5. ISBN 978-1-55591-295-6
    .
  6. ISBN 978-1-55591-295-6
    .
  7. ISBN 978-1-891424-01-4
    .
  8. ^ Gandy 1934, pp. 9–10.
  9. ^ Jackson 2016, 2:47 in.
  10. ^ Gandy 1934, p. 13.
  11. ^ "Horace Tabor Dies". The Earth. Burlington, Vermont. 1899-04-22. p. 7. Retrieved 2022-09-17.
  12. ^
    ISBN 978-0-7864-9735-5
    .
  13. ^ Gandy 1934, p. 37.
  14. ^ a b Wilson, James Grant; Fiske John, eds. (1889). Appletons' Cyclopedia of American Biography, 1600-1889. Vol. VI-2. New York: D. Appleton & Company. p. 17.
  15. ^ a b "Augusta Tabor" (PDF). History Colorado. Retrieved 2022-09-15.
  16. ^ a b "Augusta Tabor". coloradoencyclopedia.org. 2020-01-16. Retrieved 2022-09-16.
  17. ^ "Horace Tabor: The Silver King". Colorado Virtual Library. 2015-07-13. Retrieved 2022-09-16.
  18. ^ Smith, Duane A. The Ballad of Baby Doe. University Press of Colorado (2002), pp.121-122.
  19. ^ "Frances Bible, 82; Starred in City Opera". The New York Times. February 7, 2001. Retrieved May 20, 2009.

Bibliography

  • Gandy, Lewis Cass (1934). The Tabors, a footnote of western history. The Press of the Pioneers, Inc.
  • Jackson, Julie, writer and director (November 17, 2016). The Tabors (Documentary) (video). Colorado Experience. Rocky Mountain PBS. Retrieved 2022-09-17 – via PBS.{{cite AV media}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) For more information about the documentary, see IMDB.

Further reading

External links

Media related to Augusta Tabor at Wikimedia Commons

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