Changes at #92
You can’t miss the changes over the past 3 weeks on Second Street. All the windows of #92 have been draped with heavy plastic, making the view from inside the house through the windows very eerie. Much scraping and peeling have left the yard deep in paint flakes as Rhino Shield Paint Co. have stripped the clapboards down to the wood, patched and primed the surface for the final coat which has a lifetime guarantee. The house will be promoted by the company as an example of their workmanship.
After the scorching temps of Wednesday, the house got a final touch-up yesterday when any crackling in the primer was scraped away and re-primed. Color coming soon! The front door will finally receive its original two-toned scheme which will be fun to see. Two windows (kitchen and bath on the first floor) have been completely replaced and beautifully framed in wood surrounds. Getting ready for the busy summer season!
(front door, 1892 with two shades)
2 Comments
Suzan Thompson
Did the cellar have a lavatory during the Borden’s occupation of the house? I note that one of Andrew’s activities the morning of the murders was “emptying the slops.” which I assume means emptying the chamberpot in the room he and Abby shared. Where were chamberpots emptied? The house must have had some form of interior lavatory plumbing. They couldn’t always have used chamberpots? I have always wondered if there was a bathroom in the cellar and if it were the “outhouse” type, where lime was sprinkled regularly to keep down the odor. If that’s the case, would the lavatory have been emptied in the search for the hatchet? Not a job one would look forward to. Thanks in advance for any information you can provide.
Shelley
Yes. There was a city water pull chain toilet in the cellar which Emma and Lizzie used and an outhouse type latrine in the barn with a vault. The slops refer to the wash up water in the basin. There was often a large slop pail which could hold several wash bowl and pitcher contents to be emptied after washing up. Chamber pots were used at night for convenience and emptied in the morning in the cellar. It is said Mr. Borden would dump his chamberpot (liquid presumably) out back. The vault under the barn outhouse latrine was indeed searched.