Entrepreneur Archives - Lighting the Way, Historic Women of the SouthCoast

Sue Wong van Wiggeren

Visionary restaurateur Sue Wong van Wiggeren (1926-2019) spearheaded the opening of Mattapoisett’s iconic Cathay Temple restaurant at the age of 25. Lovingly known as “Suzie Wong,” she was raised in the restaurant business and considered her mother Jade as a standard for success in culinary arts.

Ruth S. Atkinson

Devoted to sailing and the arts, Ruth Showalter Atkinson (1920-2013) appreciated the beauty of the South Coast.

Suzanne Marjorie Stockard Underwood

Pioneering modernist architect Suzanne Marjorie Stockard Underwood (1917-2001) was one of the first women to graduate from the Graduate School of Design at Harvard University.

Lena Britto

Born and raised in Rochester, entrepreneur and activist Lena Britto (1921-2007) owned and operated Van-Lee Beauty Salon in East Wareham for over 18 years.

Ada Woolley Sullivan

A resourceful real estate investor and astute textile mill treasurer, Ada Woolley Sullivan (1888-1968) became New Bedford’s first woman textile mill treasurer and took full charge of the Sullivan Silk Mills in 1934.

Phebe Hart Mendall

Wedding cakes became the specialty of baker Phebe Hart Mendall (1801-1887), widowed at age 35 when husband Elihu Mendall was lost at sea.

Drawing Of Polly Johnson - A Silouette Depicting The Side Of A Woman's Face

Mary J. “Polly” Johnson

Confectioner and abolitionist Polly Johnson (1784-1871) specialized in sweets and provided safe lodging to freedom seekers in New Bedford along the Underground Railroad.

Edith Guerrier

The first woman supervisor of branch libraries of the Boston Public Library, Edith Guerrier (1870-1958) included social reform in library programs.

Helen Elizabeth Ellis

What do a tea room in Westport, a bookstore in New Bedford, special exhibits at the New Bedford Whaling Museum, and a children’s museum in Dartmouth all have in common?

Eliza Bierstadt

Active in the local 19th-century art community of William Street, New Bedford’s “Gallery Row,” Eliza Bierstadt (1833-1896) was likely America’s first female art dealer.