Stagecoach Mary: Frontier Mail Carrier Legend

Stagecoach Mary: Frontier Mail Carrier Legend

Author: King Kurus, Griot of Black & African History July 10, 2019 Duration: 2:29
Black History Buff: Uncovering Untold Stories
HistoryCommentaryCultureDocumentaryEducationNewsSocietySociety & Culture

Support the show on Patreon

OR

Buy me a coffee

Show Notes: 

To tide you over while Im researching and writing longer episodes I've created a new segment called Black History blitz. Short, bite sized and fun, like any good snack its best when shared with friends, so tell your friends about it. 

Today's Black history Blitz is about the hard-drinking, shotgun carrying wild west legend known as Stagecoach Mary. The first African American Woman to Join the US mail.

Mary Fields, later to be known as Stage Coach Mary was born in Hickman County Tennessee at around 1832 

Liberated from enslavement at the end of the American Civil war, Fields headed North working on Riverboats till she eventually found permanent work in an Ohio convent.

Her gruff style and constant cursing raised eyebrows in the quiet convent, and though she faithfully served the nuns, news of her habitual drinking, smoking, shooting guns and wearing men’s clothing. Caused upheaval. 

Things came to a head when Fields and the convent’s male janitor drew guns on each other during a heated argument, it was the final straw and she was fired.

Fields love of hard drinking and gunfights eventually paid off when in 1895 she won a contract from the postal service to become a Star route carrier making her the first African American woman to do so

Cathy Williams, we salute you! 

To learn more about black history please check out the black history buff

podcast

youtube

twitter

Pinterest

Website

Just google black history buff and you’ll find us there or hit the link below

https://www.blackhistorybuff.com/pages/social-2

Oh and if you enjoyed this please share because black history is world history

Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/blackhistorybuff/support Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

The Black History Buff Podcast, hosted by King Kurus, is your gateway to the untold stories of Black history. From African Samurai and pistol-wielding poets to revolutionaries like Fred Hampton and Angela Davis, each episode dives deep into the rich and thrilling history of the *African Diaspora*. We go beyond the textbooks, covering everything from the ancient kingdoms of *African History* to the American *Civil Rights movement* and the trailblazers of *Black British history*. More than just a podcast, this show is a bridge connecting Black communities to the past, offering powerful stories that enlighten, empower, and inspire.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Official website RSS
Black History Buff: Uncovering Untold Stories
Podcast Episodes
Definitions: Is Critical Race Theory? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:19
In this episode of Black History Buff: Definitions, we explore the meaning of Critical Race Theory, a term that has sparked intense public debate but is often misunderstood or misrepresented.Originally developed by legal…
Definitions: is the Black Panther Party? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 0:59
In this episode of Black History Buff: Definitions, we explore the Black Panther Party, one of the most iconic and misunderstood organisations in modern Black history.Founded in 1966 in Oakland, California, the Black Pan…
Definitions: What Was the Herero and Nama Genocide? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:49
Before Auschwitz, there was Namibia.In this powerful episode, we define the Herero and Nama genocide the first genocide of the 20th century, carried out by German colonial forces in Southwest Africa. Tens of thousands we…
The Law That Destroyed Jack Johnson And Got P Diddy [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 15:55
The same federal law that destroyed boxing legend Jack Johnson in 1913 just convicted Sean 'P Diddy' Combs in 2025, and the connection reveals a disturbing pattern of prosecutorial targeting that spans over a century.In…
What Is the African Diaspora? | Black History Buff: Definitions [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:06
In this episode of Black History Buff: Definitions, we explore the meaning of a term that spans continents, cultures, and centuries: the African Diaspora.Often mentioned in conversations about identity, heritage, and glo…
What Is Juneteenth? | Black History Buff: Definitions [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:06
In this episode of Black History Buff: Definitions, we explore the meaning behind Juneteenth, a historic date that marks a delayed freedom and an enduring legacy.Recognised as one of the most significant observances in A…
Definitions | Bonkó Enchemiyá: The Code Hidden in the Beat [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 3:46
What if every drumbeat was a message in plain sight?In this episode of Black History Buff: Definitions, we break down bonkó enchemiyá—the coded drum language of Cuba's Abakuá brotherhoods. But this isn’t just history; it…
Fela Kuti: The Musician Who Carried Death in His Pouch [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 22:33
In this episode, we delve into the life of Fela Kuti, the revolutionary musician who transformed the landscape of music and politics in Nigeria. The story begins in 1969 when Fela, a Nigerian jazz musician, meets a Black…

12345...10»