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Title
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Tabor, Augusta Pierce (1833-1895)
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birthday
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1833-03-29
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Birthplace
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Augusta, ME
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Death Date
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1895-01-30
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Occupation
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Philanthropist
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Biographical Text
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Augusta Pierce Tabor was a philanthropist and the first white woman to reside in the Idaho Springs mining camp. Tabor was born in Augusta, ME, and was one of ten children. Tabor lived in the Idaho Springs mining camp with her husband and son starting August of 1859. During her time there, she earned money through selling baked goods and nursing sick minors. Tabor and her family migrated around the Denver area for a few years in search of gold, opening multiple stores along the way. Tabor would manage the majority of responsibilities while her husband mined and traded. After a major silver boom, Tabor and her husband purchased a mansion in Denver that they operated as a boarding home. Though her husband abandoned her to have an affair at the time, Tabor continued running the business, and working as a landlady for over a dozen individuals. She also continued to partake in civic work and community activities. Tabor played a major role in the development of the successful Tabor Opera House, which opened in 1881, and the overall earning of her families fortune. Despite this, she gained only a small portion of it post divorce from her husband. Following this event, Tabor began her independent life, choosing to invest in properties, and devote much of her time to the Pioneer Ladies Aid Society.
Tabor married Horace Tabor on January 31, 1857. They had one son, Nathaniel Maxcy. Tabor sued Horace for maintenance and support in 1882. The case dragged on until 1883, ending in Horace asking for a divorce. Their separation was finalized later that year. Tabor passed on January 30, 1895 at the age of sixty-two from pneumonia.
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Contributor
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O'Neill, Iris
Augusta Pierce Tabor, Tabor Opera House