Another Virgin Mary

A Prescott restaurateur with a heart of gold

In 1870, Prescott had one boarding house and it was run by a woman named Mary Ramos, better-known as “Virgin Mary.” It’s not clear how she got that title, but she had a saintly reputation. Much like Tombstone’s Nellie Cashman, Virgin Mary was known for helping the poor and destitute. Between 1864 and 1876 (her death), she always welcomed those down on their luck to her dinner table and/or rooms. Her obituary said she “was known for great kindness and generosity, and hundreds of early settlers of this portion of Arizona can attest” to it.