Sun Room
Narrated by Volunteer Museum Tour Guide Wanda Schnabel
If I could have lived here at the time the Browns did, this small sitting room, or Sun Room off the stairs, would have been my favorite place to relax. I would have enjoyed the mountain view as well as the balcony which allowed me to see the sunsets
​
According to family, this small, west-facing sitting room or the Sun Room, was Margaret’s favorite in the house. Here she entertained close friends or family, wrote letters, and planned events. The balcony through the door was where the newspapers said Margaret yodeled to entertain garden party guests. She learned to yodel when living in Germany when Helen attended school there.
Horsehair sofa. Credit: Tom McClure
In this space you can see the Brown’s sofa, brought from Leadville and eventually passed down to a family member, as well as a radio Mrs. Brown purchased in 1932. On the wall you see a photo of the Brown family taken when they still lived in Leadville. Later in her life, Margaret said their Leadville years were the happiest time of her life.
Brown family portrait – Courtesy Stephan Hart Library, History Colorado.
With their lives and interests pulling them in opposite directions, Margaret and J.J. legally separated in 1909, but in observance of their Catholic faith, never divorced. Following the separation, Margaret continued to travel and work for her various causes and J.J. oversaw his mining interests, scattered all over the southwest.
