1. "At the movies"
Posted by harry on Aug-5th-02 at 10:51 PM

This postcard is for auction on eBay. Its of downtown Fall River, 1955. I noticed the movie house, the "Academy" which was showing a 3D movie, "It Came From Outer Space", a very typical movie of its time. 

Wow!  For some reason it looks less congested in 1955 then in the 1890s! 

Can you fix up the image and remove that dreadful cancellation stamp? Like you have nothing to do . . .

Said it before, & will say it again...Harry, where DO YOU FIND all this stuff?!

Susan, I think Fall River was well on its way toward losing its affluence by the 50s.  That same view (2 yrs ago anyway) is even more deserted now!

Just for you Stefani.

Tina-Kate you are so right on the population. It probably peaked around Lizzie's time and has been declining since.

Is that Stephen Rebello I spy climbing out of that station wagon all excited to go be seeing a 3-D movie with Monsters?

Stephen Rebello has graciously supplied the re-designed LAB Museum/Library with a First Person Account of growing up in Fall River, from the 50's.
See Writer's Corner.

Harry, my hero! Muchos gracias senior.

Thanks for the great personal story Stephen!

My hometown, Yonkers, N.Y., went through a similar evolution. Even had a textile mill that moved south. Urban renewal destroyed what was left of it's character.  We didn't have a Lizzie though!

But, you all do have that wonderful Yonker's accent!

How sad about Fall River, at least it didn't end up like some of the ghost towns out west here.  Some of the places almost look as though everyone just left and will be back in a few minutes! 

Nance O'Neil appeared at the Academy of Music in Fall river in October/November, 1904.

Same location, Harry?

Great info Bill.  Now to find the answer.

There is a building called the Academy, built in 1876, at the corner of South Main and Pocasset.  This appears to be the location of the building referred to as the Fall River Music Academy on the map in Len Rebello's article in the January 2002, LBQ, page 6.

The picture I posted of downtown FR in the 50's shows an Academy movie theater. However that is not in color. I have another picture of the Academy theater, in color, taken in what looks like the 20's or 30's.

I'll attach both.  Certainly the color of the building is the same and the white arches over the windows is the same.  They both appear to be four stories high. I think they are one and the same building but it's just a guess on my part.

Harry:
I was able to remove the stamps from the postcard (they were blocking my view) and yes, it is the same building.
(Is that Nance stepping into that Buick touring car?)

Yep, Looks like Nance to me Bill.

I believe that is the Andrew J Borden building to the left in the first photograph.

I also believe it is the building on the right in the second photo with the "Shoemaker" sign on the side of the building.

Another thing I noticed is that there were four faces on the City Hall clock.  Did they all keep time by the same mechanism or did they operate independently?  One could have been the main clock and triggered the hourly bells and the others just for time only.  If the latter, there could be differences in the times depending upon which clock you were looking at.

Second picture was too large. I had to reduce it. Here tis'

Thanks for the great shots-but now I'm confused. In the galleries under Fall River, there's a shot of that Acadamy Building listed as the Borden Block. Error?

Kash, confused is my normal state especially when it comes to all these   photos. 

That's a good question.  I don't know of any relationship of Andrew with this building but I'm no expert on his holdings.  It was built in 1876 and I wonder if Andrew was rich enough by then to have been involved in its financing or ownership.  It may not even refer to Andrew as there were plenty of Bordens in Fall River with mucho dinero.

Lizzie, in her inquest testimony, when asked what property her father owned replied:

Q. Tell me what you know of.
A. He owns two farms in Swanzey, the place on Second street and the A. J. Borden building and corner, and the land on South Main street where Mc Mannus is, and then a short time ago he bought some real estate up further south that formerly, he said, belonged to a Mr. Birch.

She doesn't mention it by name but this building is at the corner of South Main and Pocasset. Did it contain McMannus?  I kinda think if he owned it we would have read of it somewhere or Lizzie would have mentioned it as it is such a prominent building down town. 

Thanks for checking Harry, good point. Was A.J. affluent enough for such a venture as early as 76? Hmmmm. (He was surely beyond making caskets by then, wasn't he? And providing for extra room in them, with hacksaw...)

Kash, I think Andrew was just being kind and wanted them to fit more comfortably.  More leg room as we might say.

I just looked at Rebello again, page 568.  It refers to that building as the Richard Borden Block with A.J.'s building being across the street.

All this is actually beginning to make sense.

Yes yes, it's beginning to make much more sense now!