Lizzie Borden Society Fall River Weekend

Meet up, connect, make travel plans, and organize face-to-face get togethers in Fall River.

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Richard
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Post by Richard »

Yeah, where are the photos and the stories? I'm at my parents house in New Hampshire and don't have a way of downloading photos so I'll have to post on Thursday at the earliest.
A book shall be an axe for the frozen sea within us -- Franz Kafka
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FairhavenGuy
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Post by FairhavenGuy »

Where in New Hampshire, Richard? Every year we vacation in the Piermont/Warren/Orford area.

Harry, I think Shelley wore everybody out. . . They're still recovering.

Since we're not going in chronological order, I'll start with Saturday.

The gang showed up in Fairhaven right on time at 10:30. It was a cool, blustery morning, so we started by ducking inside the Fairhaven Town Hall. The Town Hall and the Millicent Library were under construction during the summer of 1892, just a block from where Emma was staying. Both buildings were donated to the town by Standard Oil Co. multi-millionaire Henry H. Rogers. Rogers' friend Mark Twain spoke at the Town Hall dedication.

We crossed the street to the Millicent Library for a short visit, then we walked to the house that was orginally numbered 66 Union Street, where the Brownells lived while Emma testified at the trial.

We then passed the spot on the lawn of the Unitarian Memorial Church where the house once stood where Helen Brownell spent the end of her life.

Next was the Capt. Warren Delano house, built by the great-grandfather of President FDR. We also looked at the original Unitarian Church, which is now a navigation school. (Emma would have gone either there or to the First Congregational, I think, during on Sunday.)

We got the the Moses Delano/Helen Brownell house before it completely fell apart. (The staus of the house is still undetermined.) Lots of photos were taken but nobody went inside. . . .

We had worked up quite an appetite for brunch at Pumpernickel's. It was omelets and pancakes and French toast all around.

Everyone stopped in at my office, the Visitor's Center, before heading off to Riverside Cemetery without me. (I still had to be in the office for the rest of the day.)

As I said on another thread, I didn't have a chance to take pictures.

Fun time!


Chris
I've met Kat and Harry and Stef, oh my!
(And Diana, Richard, nbcatlover, Doug Parkhurst and Marilou, Shelley, "Cemetery" Jeff, Nadzieja, kfactor, Barbara, JoAnne, Michael, Katrina and my 255 character limit is up.)
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Shelley
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Post by Shelley »

Photos are coming- yes- we ARE all in recovery from our weekend. My camera battery expired with a gasp from all the clicking and snapping and my recharger was left at the office. I spent all of yesterday in a horizontal position reading the many hand-outs we got at every stop. I really enjoyed all of these. Chief Tavares at the Courthouse had the staff put together some great articles for us, and Jane, the law library librarian researched questions we had last week and was ready for us when we arrived. The law library was amazing, and we found the original back door opening where Lizzie exited. There is now an annex built onto the back of this so the archway does not show from the outside. Thanks to Harry for pointing all of this out to me- I had thought the SIDE door was the one in that famous cartoon of Lizzie leaving in the newspaper but that door went in about 1900.

Shirley, who lives at Maplecroft for the past 16 years also works at the New Bedford Courthouse and kindly brought in many vintage postcards of the courthouse for us to see. Sorry I do not know her last name.

Len Rebello took the gang for an extensive city site tour after lunch at White's. After hot cider we all got to collapse briefly before it was time to don our leg o' muttons and go off to the Abbey Grille in Lizzie's old church for our Mutton Eater's banquet. Donald Woods and LeeAnn joined us there along with Len, Barbara MacDonald, Debbie Valentine and her mom (both original Second Street Irregulars), and our forum members. We were 21 at dinner.

Dave Quigley received The Golden Spoon Award for 11 years of tireless jonnycake flipping at #92. We figured he must have flipped about 100,000 of these Yankee tidbits. Kfactor (Kristin) received the first ever Lens of Sherlock for Excellence in Detection, finding Emma's school this past summer (this was a golden magnifying Sherlock -type lens on a chain), Donald and LeeAnn received The Order of the Golden Fleece medallion recognizing their work in restoring the Borden barn and grounds and continuing preservation work on the house, and Len Rebello received his Golden Fleece in the literary field for Past and Present, but also in encouraging excellence in research, documeting of facts and finally in SHARING all the fruits of his labors with US for so many years. These may have been sort of funny tokens, but the sentiments expressed were genuine. We were also honored to include Bob Shaw from New York, a long-standing Lizzie scholar and visitor to the house- more times than anyone over the past 11 tears. It was Bob's birthday so it was extra-special.

We were also joined by the director Jack McCullough and the beautiful actress Jill Dalton of the recent summer production. Lizzie Borden Live. They were the life of the party and truly enjoyed being in Fall River and at the scene of the crime. They are working on some very special Lizzie projects coming up in the future. The Mutton Eaters have a real treat coming up in May!

After dinner we all went on a special tour of the church including the kitchens, Great Hall and former parlors and had the spot pointed out where the Borden pew once stood. Iy was fun to see it at leisure and we stayed quite some time for photos. Back at the house the evening continued until midnight with a roundtable forum in front of the fireplace with Len holding forth as we all discussed theories and enjoyed a wine and dessert party. The desserts were amazing. JoAnn made a pear crostada and Barnara made a cheesecake to die for. With hot cider and various wines, it was a sweet ending to the day. The costume photos will add more detail!

The weather was superb on Friday but a cold front came in on Friday night so Saturday was blustery and chilly. We soon warmed up on Chris' Fairhaven walk and I learned just how much history there IS in Fairhaven -amazing. We visited Alice Russell and Eli Bence before heading back to Fall River for a whirlwind cemetery tour and a visit to the site of the old Ferry St. house. I can't thank everyone enough for making the trip and adding so much to the gathering. And now- it's back to the office and the real world again. :cry:
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Richard
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Post by Richard »

My parents are in Keene, NH. I come here several times a year to go into retreat and clear my head from the grind of a gruelling 9 to 5 office job back in New Jersey. Fortunately, Keene is a 2 hour drive from Fall River so I usually combine two trips into one.

Chris, you were a fantastic tour guide. Despite the nippiness of the weather, you made the 70 minute walk absolutely fascinating. You raised our awareness of how much rich history is in Fairhaven. We went looking for Emma but also got thrown into the mix the Delano family, FDR, Mark Twain, Henry H. Rogers, Manjiro Nakahama and the origins of the 7 Day Adventist Church. Not to mention a supposedly haunted library.

And as amazing as the tour was, I'm sure there was LOTS more to see in Fairhaven.

I encouarge any and all Lizzie-philes to factor Fairhaven into their Fall River trips.

Chris, I took some pics of our tour and I'll post them within 24 hours. Thanks for all your efforts.
A book shall be an axe for the frozen sea within us -- Franz Kafka
Barbara
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Lizzie Weekend

Post by Barbara »

The Lizzie Weekend was beyond belief. We had a very congenial growp,all Lizzie scholars to different degrees. I think the tour of Fairhaven,Chris was fantastic, was a real eye opener,and I grew up in Swansea. The downtown tour by Len was so informative,each time I take it I learn new facts. The growp discussion was so enjoyable,no mention of the paranormal,what a relief. Shelley had planned so many fun and interesting events,we never stopped. It is an understatement to say I am looking forward to the next meeting in May. Of course,if anyone lives close enough there is an event in Fall River on Dec.16TH,a Victorian Christmas. the LBH will be on the tour,as will many other homes on "The Hill". I look forward to meeting new Lizzie fans. A thankful MuttonEater!!
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Richard
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Post by Richard »

Here's the first photo: A group shot at Alice Russell's grave. Can anyone identify everyone in the photo?

Click for larger image.
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A book shall be an axe for the frozen sea within us -- Franz Kafka
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Richard
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Post by Richard »

Here's our very own FairHavenGuy giving us a tour of the Fair Haven Town Hall. At this particular moment, Chris is telling us the story of how Mark Twain came to town.

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Richard
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Post by Richard »

Here is Chris telling us about the Delano Home just a few short blocks from his tourism office.

You can read more about the house here. It's a B&B!

http://www.delanohomestead.com/index.html
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FairhavenGuy
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Post by FairhavenGuy »

Richard, in the group photo, I think the second person from the left is you.

Hope that helps.

Speaking of help, I PMed you about how I helped myself to one of your photos for my avatar. Thanks in advance. . .

Chris
I've met Kat and Harry and Stef, oh my!
(And Diana, Richard, nbcatlover, Doug Parkhurst and Marilou, Shelley, "Cemetery" Jeff, Nadzieja, kfactor, Barbara, JoAnne, Michael, Katrina and my 255 character limit is up.)
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Kat
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Post by Kat »

Great photos! Great Stories! Thanks you guys!
Shelley in her cool Deerstalker hat I recognize, as well as Richard, and Barbara. Is that Jeff there too, in his Red Sox jacket? YAY Red Sox!
I also recognize Alice Russell!
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twinsrwe
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Post by twinsrwe »

Chris, I like your new avatar!
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Post by Jeff »

Yes Kat, that is yours truly. My jacket makes me standout a bit. I had to share the Sox victory with Alice LOL
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