WIHA Looks Back at the ‘Wild Women of Boston’

Story by Marianne Salza

Historian, Dina Vargo, author of “Wild Women of Boston: Mettle and Moxie in the Hub” discussed her book about obscure female figures in history during the April 4 Winthrop Improvement and Historical Association (WIHA) meeting in the Deane Winthrop House barn. “Wild Women of Boston” focuses on the criminals, socialites, and activists whose vivacity and brilliance impacted Boston.

“There are many women in Boston who have done amazing things,” began Vargo. “They were inspirational because they were stepping out of their acceptable roles. These women were strident about what they believed in.”

Vargo introduced Jane Toppan, a serial killer who confessed to murdering 30 people, but may have killed as many as 100 in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Nicknamed, “Jolly Jane,” she grew up in Lowell. Because Toppan’s mother passed away when she was a young girl, and her father was criminally insane, and unfit to care for her, Toppan became an indentured servant; and later, a hospital nurse.

“She excelled at being a nurse; but she was a bit of a liar, and was stealing drugs. She quit and went into private service. She was wildly popular, always had clients, and killed them,” Vargo said abruptly. “She would out-smart doctors by using a mix of morphine and atropine to keep patients sick. She had a way of manipulating drugs. She would get in bed with her victims so she could feel them take their last breaths.”

Mary Ann Brown Patten, born in the North End in 1837, was the wife of clipper ship captain, Joshua Patten, who sailed the Flying Cloud, which was built by Donald McKay in East Boston. Patten’s husband taught her navigational skills; and she accompanied him on long voyages around South America to deliver cargo.

“She could use a sextant, a compass, and navigate by the stars,” described Vargo. “He told his friends and crew members that she could be a master navigator if she were a woman.”

Patten cared for her husband when he fell ill and was incapacitated on the seas. Because Captain Patten’s first mate mutinied and his second mate was illiterate, his wife rose to command.

“Mary did it with aplomb. She captained that ship around Cape Horn to San Francisco. She was hailed as a hero,” boasted Vargo. “They eventually took a land route back to Boston, and he died six months later. She was only 19-years-old when that happened, and she was pregnant.”

Amelia Earhart was born in Kansas in 1897, and moved to Medford with her mother upon her parents’ divorce. She was an ambitious woman who served as a nurse for a short period in Brookline, and taught English as a second language.

Earhart was employed at the Denison House, a community center located in what would be considered Chinatown today. The Denison House offered clubs, classes in cooking and citizenship, fitness programs, and other neighborhood services.

“The Denison House was founded by a consortium of women’s colleges. This was a pathway to do better for yourself,” said Vargo. “This woman flourished at the Denison House, and was able to join the board.”

After throwing flyers out of a biplane to raise awareness about the Denison House, Earhart became famous.

“She was cute, upbeat, charming,” Vargo listed. “This fundraiser became her entrée into Boston and nationally. In 1928, Amelia joined a crew of two men and made their way from the airport in East Boston to England. From then on, she was Amelia Earhart: the pilot.”

Dina Vargo has served as a Boston by Foot tour guide, works in affordable housing, and has a background in architectural history. Originally from Pittsburg, Vargo attributes her passion for history to her favorite childhood vacation spot: visiting Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.