Hickman County, Tennessee (c 1832 -1914)

Mary Fields (AKA Stagecoach Mary), born enslaved, a Freighter, cook, domestic worker, and the first African American woman ‘Star Route’ mail carrier in the United States. Mail delivery was a far more dangerous job back in 1895. She carried multiple firearms, most notably a .38 Smith & Wesson under her apron to protect herself and the mail from wolves, thieves and bandits, driving the route with horses and a mule named Moses. She never missed a day, and her reliability earned her the nickname “Stagecoach Mary” due to her preferred mode of transportation. Fields loved children. Though she never had her own, children adored her and parents in her area often hired her to babysit. From her life as an enslaved woman in Tennessee, to her later years in Montana she offered her babysitting services for $1.50 a day. Fields a respected public figure in Cascade, Montana, spent much of her life with kids. The town closed its schools to celebrate her birthday each year.