Lizzie Borden’s Boston Bull Terriers

20 Friday Jan 2012

Posted by in "Lizbits", Just Plain Lizzie, Lizpix, Maplecroft, Victoriana

≈ 2 Comments

Since the publication of this 1916 photograph in the Fall River Herald, there has been much discussion about every detail shown in the picture, from furnishings to Lizzie’s dress, and the little dog she is holding.  Boston Bull Terriers were admitted to the Kennel Club in 1893, and looked quite different from the familiar black and white version seen today.  Some were even brindle-colored.  Lizzie would have three in her lifetime, and the one she holds here is more reflective of the Victorian version of the breed.  For more about this fascinating topic for the animal-loving W&W readers, visit this link http://www.victorianbostonbulldog.com/breed-history.html

The Dead Files visits #92

11 Wednesday Jan 2012

Posted by in "Lizbits", Borden House Interiors, Borden Spaces and Places, Crime Scene, Fall River, Potpourri, Second Street Happenings, Spooky Lizzie's - Paranormal Second Street, Strange Lizzies, Video Lizzie

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Popular Travel Channel program, The Dead Files, will be making a visit to the Borden house.  Ghosthunters and psychics are nothing new at #92 but this show has a different slant.  According to the channel web site -

“On The Dead Files, physical medium Amy Allan and retired NYPD homicide detective Steve Di Schiavi, combine their unique and often conflicting skills to solve unexplained paranormal phenomena in haunted locations across America.” 

Ms. Allan, will “go into the house cold” and form impressions and hopefully channel information about what happened in 1892.  It is up to NYPD detective Di Schiavi to investigate actual factual data to support her findings. Air date for this program has not been released, but it will be posted here when the time has been set. To learn more about the investigation team visit http://www.travelchannel.com/tv-shows/the-dead-files/articles/meet-amy-and-steve

January Musings

05 Thursday Jan 2012

Posted by in "Lizbits", "Lizzie Folks", Case Personalities, Fall River Historical Society, Famous Massachusetts Cases, In the Marketplace, Just Plain Lizzie, Lizzie in Print, Murder Most Foul, Parallel Lives, Second Street Happenings, Things to Do, Travel Channel

≈ 3 Comments

The temps are falling and the long quiet season has arrived.  After the  excitement of the release of Parallel Lives in November, the Victorian house tour in December and virtually a year’s worth of Lizzie suspense, we’re all looking for January adventures.  Many of us are reading the massive volume, Parallel Lives.  Down on Second Street, the B&B is only open weekends for overnighters although the day tours continue through the week. The B&B web site has had an overhaul.  Re-runs of last year’s paranormal sessions at #92 are in full tilt on television, no update on the Chloe Sevigny HBO mini-series has been released yet, and the historical society is closed for the winter.

“Axed”, two one-act plays has debuted and will be running this month http://www.pressherald.com/life/go/on-the-case_2012-01-05.htm   No new ideas here, but a fresh treatment.  January is a great time for catching up on our Lizzie reading and some new entries in the historical crime arena.  W&W recommends Murder and Mayhem in Essex County by Robert Wilhelm. Murder and mischief was alive and well in Massachusetts long before Miss Lizzie! http://www.murder-in-essex.com/  If the name sounds familiar, Mr. Wilhelm also publishes the popular vintage crime blog, Murder by Gaslight and The National Nightstick, all great reading for the amateur armchair sleuth on a cold winter’s night.  http://murderbygasslight.blogspot.com/  and http://www.snakeoilgraphics.com/NightStick/  Stay tuned for reviews.  Here’s wishing you a cozy January by the fire and a good wallow in crimes of the Past.

A Red Letter Day in Fall River

20 Sunday Nov 2011

Posted by in "Lizbits", "Lizzie Folks", After the Trial, August 4th, Borden Family, Borden House Interiors, Borden Spaces and Places, Case Personalities, Fall River, Fall River families, Fall River Historical Society, Fall River Now and Then, Famous Massachusetts Cases, Famous Victorians, In the Marketplace, In the News, Just Plain Lizzie, Lectures & Exhibits, Lizpix, Lizzie Borden in the Marketplace, Lizzie in Print, Maplecroft, Mills, Parallel Lives, Potpourri, Read All ABout It, Stop the Press, Victoriana

≈ 3 Comments

Christmas came early this year for those who enjoy Fall River history and have an interest in the Borden case and the enigmatic Miss Lizzie.  Parallel Lives was released this morning to the public. By 11: 30 a.m. a long line snaked its way down the pavement toward Maple Street and there was a feeling of restless expectation in the air as the noon hour approached. .  A man came around the corner bearing two copies of the coveted tome as heads swiveled to catch a glimpse.  A spontaneous outburst of appreciation went up from the crowd followed by many comments as to the  SIZE of the massive tome.

No preview copies were released for reviewing to anyone, so it was with enormous excitement today’s release was anticipated.  Beginning on Friday, the benefactors of the publication enjoyed a special gathering, followed by Saturday night’s annual Christmas Open House for members, and capping off an extraordinary weekend with today’s public release of the book, viewing of a special exhibit of materials featured in the book (cards, letters, gifts Lizzie presented to friends, etc.) and a tour of the Christmas decorations, always an annual treat.

The authors held court in the front parlor at a beautifully decorated table with a red rose Christmas arrangement, signing autographs and having photographs taken with visitors.  On the lawn, on the stairs, and anywhere one could sit, people clutched their volume, looking eagerly through the pages. From all corners came appreciative little shrieks of excitement as never-before-seen photos were discovered, especially those showing Lizzie herself. Even those who vowed not to ruin the surprise until they could sit at leisure soon gave way to overwhelming curiosity and were soon leafing furiously through the pages. Some had driven hours to pick up their copies.

It would be presumptuous to attempt any sort of review of this major work until the whole was digested, therefore the Warps & Wefts review will be forthcoming in the near future.  Suffice it to say, Parallel Lives is as plummy a Christmas pudding as anyone could ever wish for, chock full of juicy morsels, delicious facts and photos, fascinating history, surprises and many hours of enthralled reading.  To reveal too much would be to ruin your own Christmas surprise- so-

Just spring to your sleigh, to your team give a whistle,

To Rock Street fly like the down of a thistle.

Parallel Lives is the gift sure to please, so take heed,

Happy holidays to all, and to all a good read!

Come and Get It!

17 Thursday Nov 2011

Posted by in "Lizbits", "Lizzie Folks", Borden Family, Case Personalities, Fall River, Fall River families, Fall River Historical Society, Fall River Now and Then, In the Marketplace, In the News, Just Plain Lizzie, Lizzie in Print, Museums & Exhibits, Parallel Lives, Potpourri, Read All ABout It, Victoriana

≈ 1 Comment

Put on your best bonnet and race to the corner of Rock and Maple Streets on Sunday, November 20th between noon and 3 p.m

  It’s Here!

Have your copy of Parallel Lives autographed. Pre-ordered your copy? Not to worry, pick it up Sunday at the Fall River Historical Society Book Signing!  Don’t let your friends beat you to the punch!  1000 pages and over 500 photos.  You just may have to take your vacation next week! Come back over the holidays to see a very special exhibit of ephemera and other items discovered while researching for the book: notes, cards, letters and more from Lizzie’s own hand.  Who could ask for anything more?

A Reprieve for Lizzie’s Old Church

27 Thursday Oct 2011

Posted by in Borden Spaces and Places, Fall River, Fall River families, Fall River Now and Then, In the News, Stop the Press

≈ Leave a Comment

Tags

, ,

 

http://www.heraldnews.com/business/x2063884711/Donovan-eyes-Abbey-Grill-revival-Historical-Commission-is-reconvened

With a wrecker’s ball looming over the spire of the historic Central Congregational Church, today’s announcement in the Fall River Herald News brings a sigh of hope to city preservationists.  The Ruskinian Gothic structure of red and white brick, designed by the prestigious firm of Hartwell & Swazey, was, until recently a culinary arts school with an attached restaurant, The Abbey Grille.  The business went into foreclosure, the edifice was boarded up and weeds set in.  The scenario looked bleak for the church, once the bustling religious center for many of the city’s society families from The Hill section.  Andrew Borden paid for a pew in the vast sanctuary, although it was primarily Lizzie alone who attended regularly.

Jerry and son Chris Donovan have restored and rescued other properties in the city, most notably the old Eagle on North Main Street, now a center for performing arts.  The historical commission is back in business and it looks like great things are in the works! Good news indeed.

The Eagle on re-opening night.

The Face of Lizzie Borden

25 Tuesday Oct 2011

Posted by in "Lizbits", "Lizzie Folks", "Lizziewear", Borden Spaces and Places, Fall River, Fall River families, Fall River Now and Then, If Walls Could Talk, Lizzie Borden in the Marketplace, Lizzie in Print, Maplecroft, Parallel Lives, Potpourri, Stop the Press

≈ 2 Comments

The sweet-faced lady on the piazza holding her pet is a far cry from the caricature of the raging homicidal spinster so often portrayed as being Lizzie Borden.  The bobbleheads, tee shirts, and cartoons may have to undergo a re-do.  Parallel Lives, the long-awaited biography of Lizzie and her times has released this amazing photograph of Lizzie with one of her Boston bull terriers (Laddie Miller), said to be taken around 1916 on the back porch of her French St. home, Maplecroft.

Followers of the Borden case will be drinking in every detail of her dress, her furnishings, her expression. A picture is worth a thousand words. The thick volume, studded with over 500 photos may be pre-ordered  from the Fall River Historical Society.  For the full story and link to order click on this link http://www.heraldnews.com/features/x464394189/Historical-Society-announces-first-true-biography-of-Lizzie-Borden

So will this photo and new bio change your mind about Lizzie?

Lizzie Reigns in October

21 Friday Oct 2011

Posted by in "Lizbits", "Lizzie Folks", Borden Family, Case Personalities, Fall River, Fall River families, Fall River Now and Then, Halloween Lizzie Borden, In the Marketplace, In the News, Lizpix, Parallel Lives, Read All ABout It

≈ Leave a Comment

October  has always been a 4 star month for all things Lizzie, but this year as Halloween draws nearer, the case is everywhere. Tonight Ghost Adventures showcases their investigation at Lizzie Borden Bed & Breakfast Museum (Friday,Oct 21) at 9pm and Saturday Oct.22 12am or midnight on the 21st. The crew from CBS Sunday Morning with Charles Osgood visited Lizzie’s last weekend (the same day Aron Houdini (relative of the famous Harry) came to entertain staff and guests.  That segment will air on October 30th at 9 a.m.

But most thrilling of all, the long-awaited tome published by the Fall River Historical Society which will feature amazing new facts about Lizzie and her times is now launched and can be pre- ordered on the site.(November 21st availability).  The anticipation for this thick volume, chocked-full of photos(over 500), some new ones of Lizzie, is going to fly off the shelves.  Visit the website for all the latest information and content and order form.  It’s going to be an exciting time ahead for all of us!  http://lizziebordenparallellives.com/welcome/

Also visit the Facebook site https://www.facebook.com/pages/Parallel-Lives-A-Social-History-of-Lizzie-A-Borden-and-Her-Fall-River/217117611686628

Looks like more of the same

12 Wednesday Oct 2011

Posted by in "Lizbits", Hatchets and Axes, Just Plain Lizzie, Lizzie Borden in the Marketplace, On Screen

≈ Leave a Comment

Tags

There’s always a silent hope among Borden case fans, when a new Lizzie film is announced, that somebody might get it right this time.  Most know that sticking to the thrilling TRUE story of the crime will not be enough for Hollywood.  Box office is the prime motivator, sad but true.  Too bad that the “suits” feel they must dumb down the real deal and offer schlock that follows a tried and true formula.  Audiences are underestimated.  Even diehard “cheesy horror fans”  deserve first class special effects, good casting and costuming and a decent script.  There are surely elements in the Borden saga that would work very well for the horror movie genre, put in the hands of capable horror-thriller writers.  Sadly none of these writers have been brought on board and the newest schlock-shocker in the arena, Lizzie The Movie, promises to be no improvement on the last endeavors, Curse of Lizzie Borden and  Prom Night.

The trailer has been released, and pretty much says it all.  Nothing new here.  The web site and blog are still in development but have a little information to check out.  Gary Busey and Corbin Bernsen are the “names” to draw the audience.  Busey has had some brilliant onscreen moments, and Bernsen has good acting chops on TV and some big screen.  Actors have bills to pay- that must be the reason for taking on the role in this latest Lizzie flick. 

Someday, somebody will get over using black and red, hatchets, dripping blood, and other cliche tricks and see the real potential of the Borden case.  Hold out hopes for the proposed Chloe Sevigny-Tom Hanks project.  Maybe NEXT time. . . .

Lizzie: The Movie trailer at http://lizziethemovie.com/

Cooling Board

29 Thursday Sep 2011

Posted by in August 4th, Borden Spaces and Places, If Walls Could Talk, Murder Most Foul, Potpourri, Second Street Happenings, Uncategorized

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

,

Among the fascinating photos taken by hired photographer Mr. Walsh, on the day of the murders is this one below of Andrew Borden reclining post mortem on a caned autopsy board(sometimes called a cooling board). Cooling boards came in many patented designs. Air had to circulate through in the  styles which had no ice drawer beneath, so wooden ones were frequently drilled with holes in elaborate patterns. Cane was naturally open-weave.  In this photo, Mr. Borden has an incision from sternum to abdomen which was needed in order to extract his stomach.  The same procedure was done on Mrs. Borden in the diningroom while Mr. Borden’s took place in front of the black horsehair sofa in the sitting room. A portion of the sofa may be seen in the background as well as the arm of the sofa.  The doorway in the center of the photo goes into the kitchen.

After a long search, the Lizzie Borden Bed & Breakfast museum has procured an 1890′s autopsy board which is strikingly similar, if not exact, to the one on which Mr. Borden reclines. This model folds in the middle so as to make it easy for the medical examiner or mortician to transport it.

The term “cooling board” also refers to another type of solid wooden board upon which the body is laid while in transit, awaiting transit or awaiting attention from the mortician. The body literally goes from a warm state just post mortem to “cooling” on the flat surface.  Vintage cooling boards are quite collectible and can easily fetch a sum between 400- 1000 dollars.

Oak Grove Facebook Quiz Tonight at 10!

15 Thursday Sep 2011

Posted by in Borden-related gravesites, Case Personalities, Fall River, Fall River families, Oak Grove Cemetery, Things to Do, Victoriana

≈ Leave a Comment

Need more excitement in your life?  Nothing good on T.V.?

 Tune in tonight,( September 15th) at  10 p.m. for the first ever (but not the last) So you think you know Oak Grove Cemetery? Jeopardy-  style online quiz.

Questions and photo identifications will be posted in rapid fire, each going up after the previous one has been correctly answered.  There will be one winner, with difficult brainbusters in case of a tie. Join us at Friends of Oak Grove Fall River tonight.  A prize will be awarded to the winner- and the competition will be fierce! How well do YOU know Oak Grove?

* Contestants will need a  free Facebook account to post answers.

Amelia Dyer, Evilest Woman in England

14 Wednesday Sep 2011

Posted by in Famous Victorians, Murder Most Foul, True Crime, Victorian True Crime, Victoriana, Violent Victorians

≈ Leave a Comment

Tags

  For many who study the Borden case, the first introduction to Lizzie comes by way of the famous ditty,

 Lizzie Borden took an axe and gave her mother 40 whacks,   etc.  

The jurors at the trial had a difficult time believing a lady could be capable of murdering her elderly father and stepmother.  The pages of true crime are filled with such ladylike criminals who committed heinous acts upon the sick, helpless, young, and infirm, while at the same time projecting the very image of genteel propriety to the public. England’s most famous baby-killer, Amelia Dyer, must surely go down in history as one of the most evil women who ever lived. As for Lizzie, a song was soon made up about the devious woman some thought might be “Jill the Ripper”.

The old baby farmer, the wretched Miss Dyer
At the Old Bailey her wages is paid.
In times long ago, we’d ‘a’ made a big fy-er
And roasted so nicely that wicked old jade

Dyer, although raised in a comfortable middle-class home, was taxed with the care of an invalid mother who was the victim of severe mental illness. This and other factors set Amelia on a turbulent life path of destruction and violence and murder of young innocents and hapless women who found themselves pregnant and unwed. Dyer spawned a veritable cottage industry in “baby-farming.”  Most infants never lived to see their first birthday. There is no tally of the number of murders which could be laid at the door of Amelia Dyer, but her last, in 1896 resulted in being apprehended after a turn of bad luck, tried, and convicted in less than 5 minutes. Amelia was hanged on June 10, 1896, at 9 a.m. after filling notebooks with her confession. “I have nothing to say,” said Dyer, as the noose was tightened.  The scope of her crimes still boggles the mind.  It is entirely likely that Lizzie Borden knew about The Ogress of Reading as her killing spree was fodder for the press on both sides of the ocean.

For more on Amelia Dyer, visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/index.html?curid=11443817

 

 

Harvest Moon over Second Street

11 Sunday Sep 2011

Posted by in Borden Spaces and Places, Halloween Lizzie Borden, Spooky Lizzie's - Paranormal Second Street

≈ 1 Comment

  As the evenings close in earlier and earlier, thoughts of Halloween and things that go bump in the night are in the thoughts of overnight guests at the Lizzie Borden Bed & Breakfast Museum. Halloween Night always sells out well in advance, some rooms a year ahead.  The orange glow of the street lamp casts an eerie light on #92 Friday night at 2 a.m. as guests returned from a night time tour of the city.  The house has a jack-o’- lantern look as golden light pours through the windows in the dark.

Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.