My Trip to Fall River — May, 2023

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This is Lizzie’s gravestone. On the day we visited, May 25th, it had accumulated quite a collection of offerings.

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It worked! Except you can’t make it bigger if you click on it. Working on that…

[camgarsky4]

Great pic! Looking forward to reading more about your adventure.

[WFordII]

Thanks for sharing! Does anyone decorate the graves of Andrew, Abby, or Emma? I wonder if Abby's descendants visit.

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Hi, WFordII! Here, you can see Emma’s stone, to the left of Lizzie’s. On this day, it too had coins and stones on it.

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On this day, ALL of the other markers (Alice’s, Sarah’s, Andrew’s, and Abby’s) had at least one coin.

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Can you see how a path has been worn from the road to Lizzie’s (well, “Lizbeth’s”) grave? And how worn the ground is in front of it?

[Kat]

Thanks for the pictures!
I’ve never seen that bald spot in front of Lizbeth’s stone before but remember the “path.”
Looks like a beautiful day!

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Pictures heading to Oak Grove, the cemetery entrance arch, and of the monument itself. Yes, Kat, we were blessed with beautiful weather almost every day of our vacation!
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To the right is the Borden monument; to the left are the small headstones of the family members (and my husband!).

[WFordII]

Thank you so much! These are beautiful pictures. Even from the pictures I can sense a deep, dark sadness full of questions only eternity can answer.

[Kat]

Yes good job on the pictures and making them bigger! I can tell you worked hard on that.

The first time I visited the Oak Grove site it was dreary purple twilight of March…I *heard* Andrew in my head say “Go away.”
I replied out loud “If you didn’t want visitors why put up a big monument?” Kind of facetiously.
Later, I found out the girls picked it out and had it erected.
On my next trip in October that same year, I made a point of apologizing, and I felt a grudging acceptance ( because I had been ignorant).

[Reasonwhy]

Great pic! Looking forward to reading more about your adventure.

Thanks, Camgarsky! I will post more today.

[camgarsky4]

Not sure why, but I envisioned a more pristine, monumentalish looking gravesite area for the Borden's. Now that I type that, really no idea how I formed that vision.

[Reasonwhy]

Thank you so much! These are beautiful pictures. Even from the pictures I can sense a deep, dark sadness full of questions only eternity can answer.

You are welcome, Ford. I should have posted all of them sooner (more to come). But that sadness you note? Although I did not feel it at the graves, I was overwhelmed by that and other intense emotions at the house, and that is taking me a while to sort through.

[Reasonwhy]

Not sure why, but I envisioned a more pristine, monumentalish looking gravesite area for the Borden's. Now that I type that, really no idea how I formed that vision.

That is interesting, our personal imaginings of the settings of the tragedy. Perhaps it is a bit of a mirror to our own approach. You take the case seriously, and are respectful and courteous, so your idea of the gravesite’s appearance correlates?
I did not expect to see all of the weird objects on and next to Lizzie’s stone. There was a necklace and earrings, a wrist band, and the cans were a type of energy drink. The objects seemed to indicate a kind of carnival-esque admiration for her. Meanwhile, the markers for her victims (in my opinion) were nearly bare. Seemed perverse, to me.
And she was literally buried at her father’s feet, as she had requested. A type of atonement? Or just a “show” of devotion?

[camgarsky4]

Probably just showing my age and personal foibles, but I've never understood the purpose or goal of leaving stuff on a gravesite or memorial. Are the items left symbolic of what the influence or memory of the deceased brings to the 'gift giver'? Basically something more personal than leaving flowers or something similar?

Wonder if that hatchet head shaped rock between the headstone and the can to the right was intentional?

[Reasonwhy]

I did not notice that rock until you pointed it out. Good eye!

[WFordII]

Indeed the residual energy would be high at the Borden house. Many people don't believe in spirituality or an afterlife. However, they must concede the scientific fact that matter and energy can't be destroyed. The overwhelming energy of rage, fear, murder, pain, guilt, and grief can't be denied and it still reverberates from that epicenter. If Lizzie swung the hatchet or was an accomplice, her spirit can never rest. If she were completely innocent, she may still linger because of how her name was forever tarnished. Andrew and Abby not only suffered a hideous and gruesome death, but also persistent assaults to their character. After Lizzie was exonerated, the local law enforcement failed to pursue the case. If that hasn't created a perfect storm of supernatural strength, nothing would. I'm eager to hear more about your trip, my friend!

[Reasonwhy]

Thanks for an eloquent post, Ford! My personal beliefs are centered in science, rather than religion, but there is much still unknown, I concede. I would like to discuss your post and my own feelings at the Borden house more when I post the pictures of our visit there. Going to take a swing by the Fall River Historical Society first…

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Here is the outside of the Fall River Historical Society, which we toured on May 25. It is a gorgeous building inside and out, but no photographs can be taken of the Borden exhibit inside. The gift shop entrance is to the left. That was fun to see in itself! The books published by the society are all available there, with some even autographed by their authors…

[camgarsky4]

What a grand and beautiful building! Any idea how long ago it stopped being a residence?

Did they mention why photos are not allowed? Do they sell photos of the Lizzie exhibits in the gift shop?

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No photos of the Lizzie exhibits to buy, alas… And they did not mention the reason for no photography. We were given a one-hour tour — we were asked whether our primary interest was in Lizzie, or the rest of the exhibits in the house, so they could proportion the time accordingly. As we said Lizzie, a little over half of the hour was spent in the room devoted to her exhibit. More to follow about the FRHS tour…

[Reasonwhy]

What a grand and beautiful building! Any idea how long ago it stopped being a residence?
..,

Camgarsky, I found this on the FRHS website:
“… The organization found a permanent home in 1935 when David Anthony Brayton (1900 – 1975), scion of a prominent city family, donated the residence of his late aunt, Elizabeth Hitchcock Brayton (1865 – 1935). Remarkable for its fine state of preservation, the structure, once a station on the Underground Railroad, is the only intact example of the mansions built by the affluent mill owners during the period of Fall River’s greatest prosperity.”

[Kat]

And it used to be located elsewhere and was moved brick by brick to it’s placement here.

It’s great you got to see the Borden exhibit, and those Third Street photos by Phillips!
Like the Kelly’s backyard and the “Tripp House.”

[Reasonwhy]

Kat, I love it when you add extra info. or remembrances of
your own experiences (like your Oak Grove story) to this thread. For everything I saw in Fall River, I was thinking, “Now, how was this different or the same when Kat saw it?”. So please keep your reactions coming, because they give such context to this recent trip!

[Reasonwhy]

Also, the Phillips photos were not part of the exhibit when I went, I now realize! I wonder if they are being reserved for a future publication, just as the photo Camgarsky wanted to see — of the piazza of the Chagnon house — is not available for purchase, or even for viewing, for that reason. (I did ask about that one photo for him).

[Kat]

And it used to be located elsewhere and was moved brick by brick to it’s placement here.

https://www.civitects.com/project/fall- ... l-society/
This cool site has pics so old they’re in black and white!
And tells you where the building used to be located.

[camgarsky4]

Very cool pics. Looks like they might have added the 'wing' off the side when it was relocated in 1870.

[Kat]

“Please sir, I want some more…”

[camgarsky4]

It feels like we've nibbled on some appetizers.....bring on the main course!!

[Reasonwhy]

Kat and Camgarsky, you are both clever and cute! I am not near my books to check some things (we’re on a few days’ vacation at Rehobeth Beach, Delaware), but I will try to write as I can. Home on Monday, and can access my printed sources then