AN ACT DESIGNATING A CERTAIN BRIDGE IN THE TOWN OF DUXBURY AS THE CORA WILBURN BRIDGE
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
Bridge D-14-009(49Q) on Congress street spanning state highway route 3 in the town of Duxbury shall be designated and known as the Cora Wilburn Bridge, in honor of Cora Wilburn, a poet, essayist and author recognized as one of the most prolific Jewish American women writers of her time.
Wilburn, who was born Henrietta Pulfermacher, emigrated to the United States in 1848 after stints in France and Venezuela. She overcame many challenges before launching her career and her writings show her to have been a staunch advocate of social justice who gave a voice to the impoverished. Her autobiographical novel, published serially in 1860, was the first coming-of-age novel to depict the Jewish community in the United States. Wilburn spent her later years in the town of Duxbury and died on December 4, 1906, at the age of 82.
The Massachusetts Department of Transportation shall erect and maintain suitable markers bearing this designation in compliance with the standards of the department.
Approved, August 5, 2022.