1. "The B&B & Maplecroft"
Posted by harry on Apr-22nd-03 at 11:18 AM

I don't know about the rest of you but my own personal feeling, at least right now, is that I have no interest in sleeping over night at 92 Second Street or even Maplecroft.

I would prefer going on the tours more than once, the first time to listen to the spiel and size up the places, and then the second to pick up what I missed on the first tour.

I'd be interested in knowing how you all feel.

(Message last edited Apr-22nd-03  11:18 AM.)

I think that's a really good idea, Harry.  I went on the tour of 92 Second Street about six years ago.  I was so overwhelmed by actually being in the place that I could hardly take anything in.  I'd like to go again and give it a 'twice-over' this time. 

I would love to stay overnight in both houses. Also would enjoy tours of both houses, the cemetery and the Fall River Historical Society too.

With some extra money, time and a plane ticket I'd book in anytime.

I felt such "negative vibes" in the sitting room, the thought of staying overnight @ 92 isn't too appealing -- I might if I wasn't alone.  Unfortunately, I didn't enjoy the tour; it felt "rushed" & I found the melodramatic tour schpeel very distracting.  Also did not get to see the basement, which would have been great.  What I would really love would be a private group situation & to be able to linger @ certain points in the house to be able to take it all in.  You have to stay there to do that.

Maplecroft -- very different story.  I'd live there if I could!

I'm with Carol on this one, would love to tour EVERYTHING!  Could you imagine what fun it would be to stay at the B&B and not only get to meet everyone in person, but, to also be able to act out our personal theories there for each other?  Someday, I wish it could be soon, but, I'm poor as a churchmouse right now. 

Hello Everyone - I did want to respond to this subject, because my friends and I had the pleasure of spending the night at the 92 Second Street B&B, and it was an amazing time. There were four of us and we had the B&B to our selves.

I would recommend an over-nighter to everyone. Yes, it was alittle eerie, but a must for the avid Lizzie Borden buff. I would also LOVE to be able to stay at Maplecroft IF it were ever to be made into a B&B.

I have to agree that the regular tour of the B&B is VERY quick. They do rush just alittle. But it is a must for all Lizzie buffs...

I would love to tour 92 Second Street, but I cannot imagine paying what they want for an overnight.  It is just too much.  But a tour with other enthusiasts (along with the chance to discuss what we see and share ideas) would be wonderful.  I would love to stand on the top landing of the stairs and look downward toward the front door and then look to the right and see what Lizzie claimed she did not see in that front bedroom. 

Are tours available on a regular schedule?  I did not realize one could actually tour the house without staying for the night.  Also, is it possible to walk the grounds--the back yard in particular?  Are any of the 1892 furnishings still in the house? 

I hate to be the one to answer because I have not been there, but it's my understanding that the back yard is gone.

Hi LizBeth77, welcome to the forum!  Nice to get your insights on the tour as I've never taken it.  I envy you! 

Hello Susan - Thank you for the welcome. I definately and highly recommend, if you could, an over nighter at The B&B. It is a great exprience and we do plan another stay over, hopefully, later this year. I would like to go during Halloween. But this year we may be making our first trip to Salem.

It was great that we had the whole B&B to our selves. I enjoyed the delicious breakfast and I was able to purchase a autographed copy of Len's book. The two hour tour went great. And you do get a chance to go into the basement. That part gave me the creeps just alittle. HA! And I will admit, we did sleep with the light on. We had the Andrew/Abby Suite.

And yes, the wonderful smell of breakfast DOES wake you up. HA! It was so neat eating in the dinning area where The Borden's ate so many times.

I enjoyed it very much. I do hope that Maplecroft is someday made into a B&B as well. I would love to see the inside.

(Message last edited Apr-23rd-03  7:25 AM.)

Not only is Kat right about the fact that the back yard is gone, but I don't believe any of the furniture in the house is original.  Where possible, it has been duplicated to some extent.  We stayed in the guest room for two nights at Halloween in 1998, and the furniture in that room was quite similar to what was there in 1892, even to the sewing machine.  The house has been altered very little -- mostly to meet fire code requirements and to install (thank Heaven) bathrooms.  We did get to tour the cellar and were told the day-tour people didn't get to see it.  The stairs are very steep, and there isn't much headroom.  I remember a sign somewhere in the house that says, "Watch your head.  Two people have already died of head injuries in this house."  (Or words to that effect.)  I found the guided tour somewhat disappointing, because the person who conducted it gave out a lot of misinformation about the case.  I understand there's been an improvement since then.
At the time we visited 92 Second Street, Maplecroft was supposedly open as a B&B.  Had we not been required to spend two nights at 92 Second, we might have opted for one night at Maplecroft.  If it ever was open, the period must have been brief, although a good many people report having been allowed to tour the house during the day.
I highly recommend an overnight stay at 92 Second Street.  I didn't find it scary or depressing at all.  It seemed to be a much more cheerful-looking place than I had thought it would be.  The staff there is wonderfully hospitable.  No mutton broth!

(Message last edited Apr-23rd-03  11:33 AM.)

LizBeth77, part of my problem is that I live on the west coast, California, quite a trip and I've heard that the stay at the B&B is quite pricey.  But, I will have to settle for everyone's memories and watch Stefani's videos to get my insight of the Borden home.  Someone I know is currently in Fall River, perhaps we will get a new trip report when they return? 

In 1997 we were allowed to stay for one night, but it was $225. I picked Lizzie's room as I could not sleep in a murder room. Plus, I wanted to see life from that vantage point anyway.

Luckily, the night tour I had was fairly good. We also had the run of the place as the only other person who was staying there was a businessman who travels. He had Bridget's room and had been there a week. He told me he stays at the B&B each time when he comes to town. I hope he got a discount!

When I spoke with Robert Dube, he told me that Maplecroft was still a B&B but he doesn't advertise it anymore. He has borders, actually. He said that he allows some longer term stays. But only offers free breakfast the first morning. After that the guests have to fend for themselves. I asked him this quite recently, and he had people staying there when we spoke.

One of the women in my class said that when she was overnight at 92 Second St. recently she was told Lizzie's desk and two other items of hers remained from the original furniture.  I can't remember however if she said they were in the Borden house or maybe in a museum somewhere?  Maybe someone else knows.

You can also see portions of the basement in the Unsolved Mysteries (with Robert Stack) show which was on television in 2001. This was when the ghost hunter/researcher was filmed there holding a voice activated recorder on which they got a sound and were so scared they ran upstairs.

Thanks to all of you for the information about the house and for sharing your experiences when you stayed there.  Another question:  What do you mean when you say the back yard is "gone"?  I know the barn is long gone, but has the property been reduced or broken up by a sale or some such event?  What is located on what had once been the Borden's back yard?

I think it is paved.  Encroached by the lots behind?
Can someone answer Jim?


Also, I have seen this park-like thing in private videos, and recently in a download little film (I mean tiny!) on the Museum/Library as a link.  It's where the Churchill house used to be.

I ask and people say they didn't notice it, they were too busy taking in the HOUSE!  What is this park-thing, and is it still there?
It looks rather nice...


It's called Paranormal Activity At The Borden House.
Located at "Resources", and then "Online Resources".



(Message last edited Apr-25th-03  1:06 AM.)

From the looks of it, from the photos on Stefani's site, the barn was knocked down somewhere between 1910 and 1940.  My guess would be in the 20s or 30s when cars became the norm, it was still standing in the 1910s photo.  In the photo from the 1940s you can just glimpse a bit of the garage peeking out behind the guy in the photo.

And from this current photo, the garage is actually attached to the house, there is no more little walkway with a jog in it to get to the backyard, how sad.

Good guess Susan. The barn was dismantled in 1929. There is a photo in Rebello, page 43.

The park like area is where the Churchill house was.

The back yard is gone, yes, but it is replaced by the Leary Press. The Press' front door is on Second Street but the building wraps itself around the house in the back to occupy the entire back yard.

It is super odd to look out of Andrew's bedroom window and see the flat roof of the Leary Press. Very disconcerting!

You can get into the Press from the inside of the B&B. From both the cellar (rear cellar door from my video) and the kitchen.

Think of the Leary Press as a wraparound building. It takes up two sides of the house. Kelly side and back yard.

Does this make sense?

From what I recall, the park-like area is the grounds of an apt bldg, & I believe it's called something akin to "The Borden Apts" (probably more because there's an entrance from Borden St, rather than the proximity to the house).  I remember wishing the Churchill house had survived!

Questions like these are when we need those Fall Riverite posters!

The fellow in the 40s photo looks as tho he was around in Lizzie's day.  Wonder who he is?

I also like this photo because of the woman walking by.  Gives the right perspective to show just how imposing that front door/entry is (I remember feeling surprised when I stood there) & how the house is not "small & cramped" as described by some.

(Message last edited Apr-25th-03  10:16 AM.)

When we were there, we went into the Leary Press building, because the B&B gift shop was located there.  That's where I loaded up on Borden books.  We entered through the kitchen of the B&B.  I don't quite recall its orientation to the house, but there was part of the Press building that we didn't go into.  I assumed it was where actual printing was done.  It was obvious that the Press building wrapped around the Borden house, but we didn't actually try to go into the former back yard.  There's a sort of facade to represent the old barn, and we went no further back than that.  One problem at the B&B is that there's absolutely no parking for guests during the day.  We were told to use a parking garage about a block away; however, at night we were allowed to park in the lot of a commercial building across the street.  I thought the parking situation was a serious drawback, especially considering the charge for a room.  I was also appalled that we were required to stay two nights, however, we weren't permitted to keep our belongings in the room during the day.  That's because the day tours (naturally) included the guest room where we were staying.  I had a hang-up bag, and I cleverly decided to stash it under the bed, since it could be flattened out.  I was then told that I'd have to remove it, because part of the tour was to stop on the stairs and see what could be seen under the guest room bed.  A few minutes later, I was told by another staffer that it was okay to leave it under the bed, because the tour WOULDN'T include the view under the bed.  Then I was told I could put my stuff in another room that wasn't part of the tour.  I didn't want to do that, because that room was rented to someone else for the night.  It turned out that other guests were being permitted to book for one night!  I guess the rules had been changed after we made our reservation.  --And then there's the problem, also encountered by someone else who posted here, of not having staff on hand to greet guests when they arrive.  We knocked, got no answer, and had to go to a nearby pay phone to rouse somebody in the house.  Wouldn't we have been surprised if Lizzie had answered!  Our stay was enjoyable, but it was something of a Chinese fire drill (possibly not a PC statement).