Charlestown Women’s Heritage Trail: Walk Her Way

Helen S. Rush and Mary Sherkanowski ran a boarding house at 22 Monument Square. It was called Monument Square House. They wrote about their experiences in a book, Rooms To Let.

Alice Kent Robertson Quimby, the daughter of William H. Kent, a mayor of Charlestown, lived at 25 Monument Square. She performed at charitable events reading literary pieces. Her interpretations were favorably recognized.

Lucy Lew Dalton lived on Bunker Hill Street in the late 1830s. She opposed inequality and discrimination in public schools and helped improve the quality of education at the Abiel Smith School. She was committed to helping the African American community of Boston.

Sarah Josepha Hale’s attention to the unfinished Bunker Hill Monument resulted in its completion. She was the editor of Godey’s Ladies’ Book, wrote “Mary Had A Little Lamb,” and convinced President Lincoln to establish Thanksgiving Day as a national holiday.

Women of the Monument, with their needlework and artistic creations, helped raise funds for the completion of the Monument during a week-long fair held at Faneuil Hall.

Margaret Jones was an herbalist and a midwife. She was accused of witchcraft and was tried, found guilty, and hanged. She was the first person in Massachusetts Bay Colony to be executed for witchcraft.

Harriot Kezia Hunt became a doctor through self-study after being refused permission to attend lectures at Harvard Medical School. She formed the Ladies Physiological Society in 1853. She spent many years lecturing on the abolition of slavery as well as women’s rights.

Rebecca Lee Crumpler became the first African American woman to earn a degree from the New England Female Medical College. When she lived in Charlestown, she worked as a nurse. After the Civil War, she and her husband moved to Richmond, Virginia to help the freed slaves. Later they returned to Boston.

Charlotte Cushman lived here as a young girl in a building no longer standing. She went to school and received her first elocution lessons in Charlestown. She became a renowned actress of the 19th century. She played both male and female roles.

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Mary Boyle O’Reilly was the eldest daughter of John Boyle O’Reilly, Irish Nationalist and poet. She belonged to many philanthropic organizations. She also served on the board of directors for the Women’s Educational Union. She was imprisoned by the Germans during World War I. After the war, she participated in a number of public speaking engagements sharing her war experience.

Agnes Smiley O’Reilly Hocking was the third daughter of John Boyle O’Reilly. In 1915, she and a group of Cambridge families started an open-air school. Classes were first held on the “back porch” of the Hockings’ house on Quincy Street in Cambridge. The school enrollment quickly outgrew the space. They moved to Shady Hill Square and named the school after its location. The Shady Hill School is now located near Harvard Square.

Mary Gee Chin arrived in Charlestown in 1932 as a result of an arranged marriage. She and her husband ran a laundry. When her husband died, she was left with nine children. She worked long hours remaining independent and resourceful. Chin instilled the value of education in her children and all graduated from college. The building she lived in is no longer standing.

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“Queene of Mistik” Sachem was the ruler of the Massachuset Federation of Tribes. Her territory extended from Charlestown to Concord and up to Marblehead. She was the most important ruler of her era.

Mary Winslow Long became the owner of the Three Cranes Tavern when her husband died in 1683. Under her ownership, the tavern prospered. She was able to buy several lots of desirable land in the town. Many years after her death, the Three Cranes Tavern burnt to the ground on June 17, 1775.

Elizabeth Foster Vergoose was born in Charlestown. Sources say that she married Isaac Vergoose and together they raised 16 to 20 children, some from his first marriage. Her son-in-law, Thomas, published a book of the many rhymes and verses she sang to her children and grandchildren. They became known as “Mother Goose Rhymes.”

Grace Hall Parker and her husband, Isaac, produced Charlestown Ware. After his sudden death, she took over the business and became a master potter. She was successful in petitioning the General Court to allow her to keep the monopoly on stoneware production that her late husband had. Parker balanced running a business and raising her family of eleven children until her death.

Judge Mary Murphy Brennan grew up in Charlestown and attended Boston schools. Her parents were Irish immigrants. She joined the U.S. Navy and served as a lieutenant during World War II. After attending Boston College Law School and passing the Massachusetts Bar Exam, she began her law career. In 1980, Judge Brennan was appointed as the first woman Presiding Justice of the Charlestown District Court.

Judge Lillian D’Ambrosio was the daughter of Italian immigrants. She graduated from Boston University and earned a law degree from Boston University School of Law. She was appointed as Commissioner of the Industrial Accident Board. She was elected the first woman president of the Justinian Law Society of Massachusetts. Judge D’Ambrosio was the Chief Justice of the Chelsea District Court for fifteen years prior to her retirement.