Maria Cummins was a writer whose most popular novel, The Lamplighter, was published in 1854. It depicted the story of a young girl who had a difficult childhood and had to use her own talents and courage to make her way in the world. The book sold 40,000 copies in the first month after publication, and sales totaled 100,000 after a year. Cummins wrote additional books, but none of them attained the popularity of The Lamplighter. Born in Salem, Cummins later moved to Dorchester with her family.
Her father, a Norfolk County judge, was supportive of her efforts to become an author and made sure that she received a good education, both at home and at Mrs. Charles Sedgwick’s Young Ladies school located in Lenox, Massachusetts. Maria was a contributor to The Atlantic Monthly and devoted her life to both her writing and church work. She was only 39 years old when she died. Her home on Bowdoin Street is no longer standing. The building at the site seen above was formerly St. Peter Elementary School and is now occupied by the Compass School.
