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Revision as of 18:35, 28 November 2020 by Dmoore5556 (talk | contribs) (citation add; clarify places honored by state)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff) American Revolutionary War figure| Molly Stark | |
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 Statue of Molly Stark in Wilmington, Vermont | |
| Born | Elizabeth Page (1737-02-16)February 16, 1737 |
| Died | 1814 (aged 76–77) |
| Spouse | General John Stark |
| Children | 11, including Caleb Stark |
| Molly Stark House | |
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 | |
| Location | 346 Stark Highway North, Dunbarton, New Hampshire |
| Coordinates | 43°08′57″N 71°37′48″W / 43.14930°N 71.63013°W / 43.14930; -71.63013 |
| Built | c. 1759 |
| NH State Register of Historic Places | |
| Designated | January 27, 2003 |
Molly Stark, née Elizabeth Page, (February 16, 1737 – 1814) was the wife of General John Stark, made famous by his battle cry during the American Revolutionary War. Described as "mother of 11 children, homemaker, patriot, and defender of the household", she also campaigned for smallpox vaccination. There are locations or landmarks named after her in at least four different states.
Life and significance
Elizabeth "Molly" Page was born on February 16, 1737/8 to Puritans Caleb Page and Elizabeth Merrill. She was born in Haverhill, Massachusetts, moved with her family to Dunbarton, New Hampshire, around 1755, and was the daughter of the first postmaster of New Hampshire, Caleb Page. Her mother died when she was five, and she was adopted by her aunt, Ruth Wallingford, a widow with ten children of her own. She spent ten years with the Wallingfords. She later returned to live with her father in Starkstown in 1752 at the age of 15. Her father owned slaves, which was not common in New Hampshire. She married John Stark on August 20, 1758. Together they had 11 children, including their eldest son Caleb Stark.
Stark gained historical notoriety due to her husband's battle call of "There are your enemies, the Red Coats and the Tories. They are ours, or this night Molly Stark sleeps a widow!" before engaging with the British and Hessian army in the Battle of Bennington. Stark is also known for her success as a nurse to her husband's troops during a smallpox epidemic and for opening their home as a hospital during the war. In late November 1778, she petitioned the New Hampshire Court "praying for leave to inoculate herself and family for the Small Pox," but was denied by state authorities who continued to ban inoculation for fear that it would spread the disease.
Legacy
Vermont
Stark is honored in Vermont by the Molly Stark State Park in Wilmington, and a statue of a gun-toting Molly which overlooks the Deerfield River. There was a gazebo next to the statue, but, during Hurricane Irene in 2011, which flooded downtown Wilmington, the gazebo disappeared. Also named for her is the Molly Stark Trail, otherwise known as Route 9, which crosses southern Vermont and commemorates the route used by General Stark on his victory march home from the Battle of Bennington. Molly Stark Mountain is one of the Green Mountain peaks on the Long Trail, just south of Camel's Hump and north of Route 17; the adjacent peak is Baby Stark.
New Hampshire
The Molly Stark House still stands in Dunbarton at Page's Corner, denoted by a New Hampshire historical marker (number 111); it was added to the New Hampshire State Register of Historic Places in 2003. The Molly Stark cannon, or "Old Molly", bears her name, and is kept by the New Boston Artillery Company, denoted by a New Hampshire historical marker (number 146). The Molly Stark Chapter of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution is located in Manchester.
Ohio
Numerous revolutionary war veterans settled in Ohio, so the General and his wife were honored there. Molly Stark Park is located in Nimishillen Township, Stark County, in northeastern Ohio. It is the grounds of the former Molly Stark Hospital, which served as a tuberculosis sanatorium between 1929 and 1956 and as a general hospital and geriatric facility until 1995. In 2008, the county park board offered to buy the hospital and its grounds for a dollar, and the county opened the first public park in the township in April 2009.
Minnesota
Molly Stark Lake in Otter Tail County, Minnesota, is named for her.
References
- ^ "New Hampshire State Register of Historic Places". New Hampshire Division of Historical Resources. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
- Colonel Williams Inn website
- Per text of plaque on Molly Stark statue in Wilmington, Vermont.
- Vital Records of Haverhill, Massachusetts to the end of the year 1849 Vol 1 Births. Topsfield, MA: Topsfield Historical Society. 1910. pp. 237–328.
- ^ Rose, Ben Z. (2007). John Stark: Maverick General. amazon preview: TreeLine Press. pp. 41–43, 142. ISBN 978-0-9789123-0-7.
- "Vermont State Parks/Molly Stark State Park". Vermont State Parks. Retrieved March 24, 2018.
- "Pageantry and Speaking Open New Molly Stark Trail". North Adams Transcript. North Adams, Massachusetts. September 8, 1936. p. 6. Retrieved November 28, 2020 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ "List of Markers by Marker Number" (PDF). nh.gov. New Hampshire Division of Historical Resources. November 2, 2018. Retrieved July 5, 2019.
- "NEW HAMPSHIRE - State and Chapter Web Sites".
- Cahal, Sherman (2018-06-12). "Molly Stark Sanatorium". Abandoned. Retrieved 2019-11-11.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - Upham, Warren (1920). Minnesota Geographic Names: Their Origin and Historic Significance. Minnesota Historical Society. p. 402.
External links
- Molly Stark at Virtual Vermont Internet Magazine
- Molly Stark Sanatorium at abandonedonline.net
- Molly Stark State Park at Vermont State Parks
- Molly Stark House Historical Marker at hmdb.org