Borden Spaces and Places
Houses, buildings, streets, & edifices related to the case
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August 4th means Lizzie Borden in Demand!
Those interested in the Borden Case will have a week ahead chock-full of things to see and do. It has been a long time since the conference at Bristol Community College and many who are fascinated with the case and needing a good dose of Bordenalia are heading to Fall River this week to take in as much as possible. Great weather is predicted!THINGS TO SEE AND DO
1. The Fall River Public Library is hosting a book reading with author Richard Behrens, reading from his new book, Lizzie Borden, Girl Detective beginning at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, August 3rd. Costumed cast from the annual Lizzie Borden Bed & Breakfast Museum August 4th performances, The Pear Essential Players, will attend in character with a few words to say about Wednesday, the 4th on Second Street.
2. The Lizzie Borden Bed & Breakfast will have daytime tours on the hour from 11 a.m. -3 p.m. on August 3rd. Don’t miss the gift shop! Advance tickets are on sale for August 4th performances of CSI Lizzie Borden. Richard Behrens will also be autographing his book on the 4th in the gift shop. A drawing will be held at the end of the day for a night’s stay for two at the house. Program GPS devices for 230 Second Street or 230 2nd Street. 
3. Oak Grove Cemetery has convenient black arrows on the pavement from the office gate to the Borden plot and is open from early morning until dark. Many other case personalities are buried in the historic Victorian cemetery.
4. The Fall River Historical Society will be open with a special augmented Borden exhibit, featuring some items which are generally not on display all the time This is a must-see on the list for visitors coming to Fall River for the day. The society can be found at the corner of Maple and Rock streets. There is also a great gift shop selling Lizzie Borden merchandise and books.
5. A little drive around the city in the late afternoon might be a great way to end the day. The Andrew Borden Building is still standing on the corner of Anawan St. and South Main, Lizzie’s little school can also be found in the South End on Morgan Street, and Maplecroft is convenient if you plan to see the cemetery as it is only a short drive from Prospect to French Street. There is much beautiful Victorian architecture to be seen on The Hill and some fantastic restaurants in which to sample the local cuisine for dinner at the end of your day. -
Cast for Annual Presentation at Lizzie Borden Bed & Breakfast Museum
Some of the cast will be appearing at the Fall River Public Library on Tuesday, August 3rd at 6:30 for a special reading by Richard Behrens from the new Lizzie Borden: Girl Detective! Tickets are presently on sale at the museum 508-675-7333. Advanced ticket purchase is suggested to avoid disappointment on the 4th. Tickets are usually sold out by noon. First performance at 10: 30 a.m.
Cast interviews and photos may be found at http://pearessentialproductions.org/
Lizzie Borden: Lorraine Gregoire
Detective Seaver Ben Rose
Abby Borden: Shelley Dziedzic
Andrew Borden: Logan Livesey
Bridget Sullivan Kathleen Troost-Cramer
Emma Borden: Barbara Morrissey
Addie Churchill: JoAnne Giovino
Alice Russell: Kristin Pepe
Uncle John: Joe Radza
Officer Medley: Justin Dunne
Miss Manning from the Herald: Molly O’Brien
“Cub reporter and Girl Detective” from the Herald, and Miss Manning’s assistant: Kathryn Woods
The Distinguished Undertaker Winward: Michael Brooks
Officer Harrington: Will Clawson
Marshal Hilliard; Ray Mitchell
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Book Signing August 4th
Richard Behrens, author of the new adventure stories of Lizzie Borden: Girl Detective will be signing copies of his book in the giftshop at the Lizzie Borden Bed & Breakfast on August 4th from 10:30- 4 p.m.. Copies of the book will be on sale.
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The Brownell House Today
Just a little over a year between the two photos above reveal big changes at the Fairhaven Green Street house where Emma Borden stayed with the Brownells the days before the murders in Fall River. A sort of patio fenced in with white railings is now in place where the former kitchen addition came off the back of the house. Gone are the creeping briars and trumpet vine, sagging back porch and decaying front stairs. The siding is a bit of a disappointment for purists who love Victorian houses, but the structure has managed to come into the decade keeping some of its early charm for future generations to inherit.
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It’s Hot, It’s Summer, It’s Time Again
With the arrival of scorching temps and high humidity, the cast of the Pear Essential Players (P.E.P.) layer on the petticoats, corsets and false beards in preparation for the August 4th re-enactment at the Lizzie Borden Bed and Breakfast. Rehearsals will begin in two weeks, and this year the script is new. Written every year by night tour innkeeper Shelley Dziedzic, this year’s script will harness the flavor of popular CSI programs. Here is what the B&B website has to say about the annual event:
“Thirty minutes have passed since Abby Borden’s body has been found upstairs in the guest room. #92 has become a beehive of activity with Fall River’s Men in Blue flocking to the crime scene. Doctors, bystanders, policemen, newspaper reporters, neighbors and friends are all converging on the little drab house on Second St. Inside on the Second Floor, Miss Lizzie Andrew Borden is reclining on her fainting couch, medicated with bromo caffeine. Uncle John has wandered bewildered into the dining room, trying to make sense of what he has just heard. Bridget Sullivan is frightened in the parlor, already planning to pack and flee that very afternoon. The lifeless bodies of Andrew and Abby Borden are covered with bloody sheets, awaiting procedures and the ministrations of the undertaker. Sister Emma is rushing back home on her way from Fairhaven. Helpful neighbors mill around looking for answers and trying to be useful in comforting Lizzie and assisting the police. Meanwhile, the police begin the questioning and searching. Our visitors will be “deputized” as they begin their tour of the crime scene, and will be encouraged to “assist” the police with their photographic equipment and by carefully surveying the crime scenes. They may even be motivated to ask a question themselves and to be on the lookout for CLUES! By means of the police questioning, the visitors to the house will hear the story as it happened, unfolding through the answers of the family members. As the tour of the premises ends, visitors will be asked to cast a vote on the GUILTY PARTY, based on what they have seen and heard during their inspection of the scene of the crime. ”
There will be a few new faces in the cast this year and a few new characters from out of the past. Information on ticket sales, parking and times will be posted here and on the B&B site soon. The first performance will be at 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, August 4th. This will be the fourteenth year that the house on Second Street has reproduced the historic details of the famous case in an entertaining and educational way. -
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)
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Travel Channel visits the Lizzie Borden House May 4th
“There’s no bizness like Lizbizness”
The weather was ideal for the Travel channel shoot in Fall River. Bursts of rain and bright sun were the order of the day and produced some wonderful silhouettes and shadows inside the house- a novel approach to the re-creations for a film crew.
Andrew Borden was played by the Rev. Robert Richardson, a Congregationalist minister. This was his first time out as Mr. Borden and Kathleen Troost-Cramer who usually plays Irish maid Bridget Sullivan took on her first turn as Lizzie. Both were superb in their roles. The filming is for an upcoming program on haunted hotels and bed and breakfasts, so the focus was on the paranormal. Thirty Odd Minutes’ Andrew Lake and Matt Moniz (also of Spooky South Coast radio show) were also on hand all day to serve as science techs for the shoot. http://www.30oddminutes.com/about.shtml http://www.spookysouthcoast.com/AboutUs/
Psychic and medium Liz Nowicki also made a call in the evening. What did they find? Stay tuned!
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May Doings at #92 Second St.
Hard to believe that May will top the month of April as a busy month at #92. On May 4th the Travel Channel will be returning for the third time since April to film footage for another program which will feature haunted hotels and B&B’s. The same cast from April will be portraying Lizzie, Abby, and Andrew Borden (LeeAnn Wilber, Shelley Dziedzic, & Dan LeLievre). The exterior of the house is undergoing extensive scraping and repainting so the cameras will roll on the inside.
The Discovery Channel will be shooting at the house in two weeks, and will be bringing a full cast of actors to play the key parts in the story. This upcoming Fall season promises to be full of Lizzie Borden and the Fall River Tragedy.The pansies are in bloom, the pear tree is laden with blossoms which will yield plenty of pears in August, and a few new touches have been added around the house, bringing a feeling of 1892. An 1880’s silver caster set now has pride of place in the diningroom, there’s a new globe lamp on the piano, a beautiful oil painting of roses by a local artist, painted in 1897 hanging in the parlor, and Mr. Borden has a walnut Eastlake mirror in his bedroom. Over the parlor sofa, a display of Victorian memorials adds decades to the room decor and features a shadowbox of handmade flowers and a framed memorial of a cross and flowers composed entirely of hair, a popular activity from 1860s-1880s.
Across the street, the new court house is preparing to open. All along the west side of Second Street, parking places have been defined. Lots of changes are afoot for the busy season at #92.
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Lizzie Borden’s house gets a facelift
Lots of excitement at #92 this week as the house is stripped back to the raw wood on the clapboards. For the first time we see the original color of the house which was called “drab”, a grey-olive color. Since 1996 the house has been tan under McGinn ownership during the opening years of the B&B , and a strong green which was applied in 2004 under new ownership. The new treatment, called “rhino paint” comes with a lifetime guarantee and is advertised as the toughest paint around. The crew is doing a great job of prep work and the glimpse of the raw wood while the paint is completely removed offers some detail as to the way things are put together. The side entry porch overhang was not original to the house and was added after the 1892 murders. The new paint color will more accurately match the drab paint color of 1892. The darker trim paint currently on the house was a very close match to the 1892 color.
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A Gentler Side of Lizzie Borden
It’s seldom one hears about life with Lizzie at Maplecroft. From time to time nuggets of her day-to-day life are revealed by guests who stay at #92 Second Street – guests whose grandparents had seen or had spoken to Lizzie in the years before her death in 1927, or those who had worked for her in various capacities. One guest spoke of how Lizzie kept small foil-wrapped peppermint patties in a dish inside the front doors of Maplecroft in case a child might wander into her yard. This was confirmed by another guest whose father was welcomed into the foyer at Maplecroft when he was a tyke, and given candy and kind words by Miss Lizzie. We hear of her concern for animals, and many anonymous gifts of cash to worthy causes and to people in need. Her chauffeur’s son was assisted financially by Miss Borden in his quest for a medical school education, another child was helped with camp fees, veterinarian’s fees were paid when a dog was struck by a car and the owner was too poor to pay.All of this paints another picture of what we have all come to think of Lizzie Borden. She was a multi-dimensional personality. Now the story of the little girl who was not afraid to bring Lizzie milk and eggs has been written , with more insights on one of Fall River’s old families, and the kindness of Lizzie Borden. To read this article by Jack Faria, please click on Another Side of Lizzie Borden at the top of the page, or click on this link :
http://lizziebordenwarpsandwefts.com/another-side-of-lizzie-borden/
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What’s new on Second Street?
Lizzie’s has another brand new sign created by Ray who now works in the gift shop. The hatchet is made of a waterproof foam material.
A new green velvet diamond-tufted Victorian settee has pride of place on the third floor. Bridget would have loved it.
Lizzie’s piano gets a new globe lamp.
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A Busy April on Second Street
The pansies are blooming, the grass is greening, and the Borden house is getting a new lick of paint this week. The Travel Channel returns next week to film a new -for-autumn bed and breakfast program, and April 15th will see the Return of the Mutton Eaters, the armchair Bordenian sleuths who gather once a year to chase the cold trail of the 1892 crime. This year the group will have the annual banquet at the Quequechan Club on North Main since the old Abbey Grille is no more.
The pace will be hectic with many venues to visit and the focus this year set on Fall River and Swansea. Experiments in the house, presentation of new information found over the year , and special guests are part of the annual endeavors. April will be a very bizzie Lizzie month.
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To be a fly on the wall!
If we could only go back to August 4, 1892 in a time machine, there are plenty of places in #92 Second Street one would wish to be on that fateful day. Borden neighbor, Addie Churchill, was first on the scene after being attracted to the spectacle of Bridget Sullivan racing up and down the Borden driveway. Lizzie’s cool quip,“Oh do come over Mrs. Churchill, someone has killed father”-
or words to that effect have resounded down the century as being somewhat strange under the circumstances. Addie enters the house and gets the story from Lizzie, who is sitting in the turn of the lower steps of the back stairs.
(Prelim.) Addie Churchill
Q. What did you do or say?
A. I opened one of the windows and said “Lizzie, what is the matter?”
Q. Go right on now,
A. She said “O, Mrs. Churchill, do come over; somebody has killed father.”
Q. Go right on, if you please.
A. I closed the window, and went directly through my house out the front door, and went over to her house, and opened the screen door, and went in. Then she sat on the second stair at the right of the screen door, the back stairs.
Q. The stairs, as I remember the plan, came down, the foot of the stairs is very near the back door?
A. Just as the right of the door as you go in.
Q. She was sitting then opposite where she had been standing?
A. Yes Sir.
Q. What happened then?
A. I put my hand on her arm, and said “O, Lizzie”, I said “Where is your father”? She said “in the sitting room”. I said “where were you when it happened”? She said she went to the barn to get a piece of iron, and came back, heard a distressed noise, and came in, and found the screen door open.
Can you picture her there?
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Travel Channel to Return to #92
It’s been a busy few weeks on Second Street with the filming of a documentary and a visit by the Travel Channel. The Travel Channel returns in April to shoot footage for a new program, America B&Bs which will showcase bed and breakfasts that will be visited and rated by two couples who will check in as regular guests and experience the property and visit attractions and restaurants in the city. Producer and camera crew will be spending the night as well. #92 is getting ready for its close-up!
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In Pursuit of the Dead
Last weekend’s Ghosthunter’s University with Chris Moon seems to have produced a few new twists. The group, which meets several times a year to introduce students of the paranormal to ghosthunting equipment and techniques obtained some interesting messages and phenomena. Those who go in for this sort of thing will enjoy Phil Devitt’s article for the Fall River Spirit which was published in the Wednesday edition. Another ghost hunting group is planning to visit #92 in April. http://www.southcoasttoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100325/PUB03/3250442/-1/pub03 -
Lizzie gets a facelift
The old tan sandwich board sign which first appeared in 1996 at the house opening has had a sprucing up recently. The letters are now woodburned and Lizzie sports a perky pink bow, thanks to Ray!
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Ric Rebelo releases clip
Documentary -maker, Ric Rebelo of Fall River has released a preview of his upcoming two hour documentary about the Borden case. Visit the link below for an eight minute clip. -
Travel Channel March 11, 2010
Photos from last Thursday’s filming. The new Mr. Borden could double as Abraham Lincoln. A few are rather eerie!
Bridget Sullivan: Molly O’Brien
Lizzie Borden: Lee Ann Wilber
Mr. Borden: Dan LeLievre
Mrs. Borden: Shelley Dziedzic
