Entrepreneur

Headshot Of Restauranteur Sue Wong -- Young Woman With Long Hair Swept Up.

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.
Photograph Of Ruth S. Atkinson - A Headshot Of An Older Woman With Short Grey Hair, Round Glasses, And A Sweater

Ruth S. Atkinson

Devoted to sailing and the arts, Ruth Showalter Atkinson (1920-2013) appreciated the beauty of the South Coast.
Photograph Of Suzanne Marjorie Stockard Underwood - A Young Woman With Short Black Hair, Wearing Dark Clothing And Folding Her Arms

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.
Photo Of Entrepreneur Lena Britto

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 Nina Woolley Sullivan

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.
Lighting The Way Logo

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.
Photograph Of Hellen Ellis - A Young Woman Wearing A Dark Cap, Leaning Against Another Woman Out Of Frame

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?
Photo Of Eliza Bierstadt

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.
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