Born: 1889, United States
Died: 28 June 1979
Country most active: United States
Also known as: Mary Aileen O’Bryan, Aileen Baehrens
The following is republished from the National Park Service. This piece falls under under public domain, as copyright does not apply to “any work of the U.S. Government” where “a work prepared by an officer or employee of the U.S. Government as part of that person’s official duties” (See, 17 U.S.C. §§ 101, 105).
Aileen Nusbaum
Mesa Verde National Park
HCWP, 1921-1939
• Born Mary Aileen O’Bryan on 1889 at Las Vegas, New Mexico.
• Attended Sorbonne art and dramatic schools in Paris.
• Married Alfred Baehrens, a noted musician.
• Their son Deric was born in 1913 in France.
• From 1914-1915, worked as a nurse at American Ambulance outside of Paris during WWI.
• Returned to New Mexico with Deric in 1915. It’s unclear if she divorced Baehrens or he died.
• Married Jesse L. Nusbaum in 1920 and traveled across southern Utah by pack train as part of an archeological team led by Jesse.
• Helped him excavate a Basket Maker cave site.
• Moved to Mesa Verde National Park in June 1921 when Jesse was appointed superintendent.
• That first winter, they built their home and most of their furniture.
• Isolated at the park for 8 months due to weather, she had no contacts besides her husband and son.
• Was an “Honarary Custodian Without Pay” (HCWP) and a major force behind the design of many park structures.
• Provided medical assistance to the local community without compensation.
• Congress appropriating funding for the Aileen Nusbaum Hospital at Mesa Verde, built in 1926.
• Divorced Nusbaum in 1939.
• Acting director of the New Mexico Federal Writers Project from February-September 1939.
• Moved to Bath, England in 1969.
• Died in Bath, England on June 28, 1979 but is buried in Santa Fe, NM.
The following is republished from the National Park Service. This piece falls under under public domain, as copyright does not apply to “any work of the U.S. Government” where “a work prepared by an officer or employee of the U.S. Government as part of that person’s official duties” (See, 17 U.S.C. §§ 101, 105).
In spite of the challenges, women did live in the parks with their husbands either year round or seasonally. Many of the wives were well educated and just as qualified as their husbands. Southwestern National Monuments Superintendent Frank “Boss” Pinkley quickly understood what great assets park wives were, including his wife Edna. He did more than just acknowledge the wives with the affectionate (and unofficial) titles “honorary custodians without pay” (HCWP) and “honorary ranger without pay” (HRWP). He asked for their opinions on housing issues, insisted that they were part of their husbands’ transfer decisions, and gave them credit where credit was due in his monthly reports to Washington.
Park wives and their families in the 1920s–1940s faced many challenges related to poor infrastructure in undeveloped parks and monuments. Even women who were used to difficult living conditions and were very successful in their roles as HCWPs struggled at times.
Educated at the Sorbonne in Paris, Aileen Nusbaum worked as a nurse outside of Paris during World War I. She and her son Deric returned to the United States after the war, and she married archeologist Jesse Nusbaum in 1920. She traveled across southern Utah by pack train and helped him excavate a Basket Maker cave site. She was clearly an intelligent, resourceful, and courageous woman. When she moved to Mesa Verde with him in 1921, they worked that first winter to build their home and most of their furniture. She also worked with him to design several new buildings for the park as well as their furnishings. Yet in September 1923, Albright wrote to Cammerer, “Mrs. Nusbaum’s case is serious. Of course, we have to do something for the Nusbaums. Why don’t you let Jess move down to Santa Fe for the winter? . . . We have simply got to keep the Nusbaums at all costs.”
Although we haven’t found her original letter that sparked these concerns, it likely referred to her extended isolation. Due to extreme weather, for a period of eight months she had no other human contacts besides her husband and son. As her situation improved, Aileen continued to make important contributions as an HCWP. She and Deric were actively involved in archeological excavations in the park. She played hostess to the Crown Prince and Princess of Sweden when they visited in 1926. Like Smith, she publicized the park, the NPS, and Native American traditions through her published writings. She also helped her son write Deric in Mesa Verde, his 1926 book about growing up in the park. In recognition of her work providing medical services in the park and local community, Congress provided funding in 1927 to construct and equip the Aileen Nusbaum Hospital at Mesa Verde.