Augusta 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]

Augusta Pierce Tabor

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]

Adulthood
Augusta and Horace Tabor's house in Leadville

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 $264,931 in 2019) per day.[1]

The Tabors established a mansion in Denver after Horace was elected lieutenant governor later in 1878. The 20-room mansion, built at Eighteenth and Broadway for $40,000 (equivalent to $1,059,724 in 2019), 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

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.[8] A noted interpreter of the part was Frances Bible, who recorded it in 1961.[9]

See also

References
  1. "Augusta Pierce Tabor". Colorado Women's Hall of Fame. Retrieved January 22, 2015.
  2. Jeanne Varnell (1999). Women of Consequence: The Colorado Women's Hall of Fame. Big Earth Publishing. p. 23. ISBN 978-1-55566-214-1.
  3. "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. Glenda Riley; Richard W. Etulain (2003). Wild Women of the Old West. Fulcrum Publishing. pp. 12, 15–16. ISBN 978-1-55591-295-6.
  6. Glenda Riley; Richard W. Etulain (2003). Wild Women of the Old West. Fulcrum Publishing. pp. 13, 15. ISBN 978-1-55591-295-6.
  7. Vivian Sheldon Epstein (November 1, 1997). History of Colorado's Women for Young People. Denver, Colorado: Vivian Sheldon Epstein. p. 10. ISBN 978-1-891424-01-4.
  8. Smith, Duane A. The Ballad of Baby Doe. University Press of Colorado (2002), pp.121-122.
  9. "Frances Bible, 82; Starred in City Opera". The New York Times. February 7, 2001. Retrieved May 20, 2009.

Further reading
  • "Augusta Louise Pierce Tabor, Notable Unitarian and Universalist Women". Unitarian Universalist Women's Heritage Society. Archived from the original on 2015-01-24.
  • Caroline Bancroft (1991) [1955]. Augusta Tabor, Her Side of the Scandal. Boulder, Colorado: Johnson Publishing Company. ISBN 0933472145.
  • Diane C. Major (2013). Augusta Tabor: Enterprising Pioneer. Palmer Lake, Colorado: Filter Press. ISBN 0865411727.
  • Betty Moynihan (1988). Augusta Tabor, A Pioneering Woman. Evergreen, Colorado: Cordillera Press. OCLC 17877111.
  • Augusta Tabor, Hubert Howe Bancroft (1884). Cabin Life in Colorado. Palmer Lake, Colorado: Filter Press. OCLC 25912042. A statement recorded at Denver, Oct. 22, 1884, concerning arrival in Colorado, 1859; experiences in mining regions; work with her husband in the Post and Express Office; carrying gold to Denver.
  • Linda Wommack. "Augusta Louise Pierce Tabor". From the Grave: A Roadside Guide to Colorado's Pioneer Cemeteries. Caxton Press. p. 97. ISBN 978-0-87004-565-3.

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