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Celebrating 90 Years of Woman and the Vote in Newport

Friday, August 13th, 2010

Celebrating 90 Years of Women and the Vote
Thursday, August 26
11 a.m.
Marble House, 596 Bellevue Avenue

Alva Vanderbilt Belmont, a noted suffragist, called Marble House her “temple to the arts,” and used the house as a setting for suffrage rallies. Today, the arts and women’s suffrage come together as the The Preservation Society of Newport County, the League of Women Voters of Rhode Island, YWCA Northern Rhode Island, Women’s Fund of Rhode Island, the Newport Restoration Foundation and the Newport Historical Society commemorate the 90th anniversary of the 19th amendment.

Join us on the lawn of Marble House for a morning of poetry, music, and readings from historical documents on women’s suffrage by former RI state senator June Gibbs; RI Poet Laureate Lisa Starr; Amber Rose Johnson, the 2010 Poetry Out Loud National Champion from Classical High School in Providence, RI; and Lt. Col. Jayme M. Sutton, Naval War College Military Professor of National Strategy Decision Making.

Event is free and open to the public.

Posted in Off Topic, On the Web, Victoriana | No Responses »

New Lizzie Borden Book!

Saturday, April 17th, 2010

Hot off the PearTree Press!

Lizzie Borden: Girl Detective by Richard Behrens

Introducing Miss Lizzie Borden of Fall River, Massachusetts, a most excellent girl detective and the most remarkable young woman ever to take on the criminal underworld in late 19th century New England.

Many years before her infamous arrest and trial for the murders of her father and stepmother, Lizzie Borden pursued a career as a private consulting detective and wrestled unflinchingly with a crooked spiritualist, a corrupt and murderous textile tycoon, a secret society of conspiratorial anarchists, lustful and psychotic sporting boys, a crazed and vengeful mutineer, an industrial saboteur, and a dangerously map cap mathematics professor—none of whom are ever exactly what they seem to be.

In these five early tales of mystery and adventure, Lizzie Borden is joined by her stubborn and stingy father Andrew; her jealous and weak-chinned sister Emma; her trusted companion Homer Thesinger the Boy Inventor; and the melancholy French scion Andre De Camp. Together, they explore Fall River’s dark side through a landscape that is industrial, Victorian, and distinctly American.

You have met Lizzie Borden before! But never like this!

About the author:
Richard Behrens is a contributor to The Hatchet: A Journal of Lizzie Borden and Victorian Studies and a founding editor of The Trenton Review. His writings on literature and science fiction have been published in The Journal of Advancing Technology and on TheModernWord.com. A native New Yorker, now living in New England, Richard is working on several more Lizzie Borden, Girl Detective mysteries.

Only $14.95! Order yours today here.

Posted in 6 º of Separation, Book and Media Reviews, Borden Buzz, Lizzie 4 Sale, On the Web, Unabashed Self-Promotion, Victoriana | 1 Response »

Fashion of the Gilded Age

Monday, April 5th, 2010

From the Preservation Society of Newport County:

“”Newport Undressed” Exhibit Opens at Rosecliff

Get a close up look at Gilded Age fashion, from the women who spent massive sums on custom-made gowns, to the Paris couture houses that dressed them in such high style.

This year’s costume exhibit at Rosecliff, Newport Undressed: Crafting the Gilded Age Wardrobe, provides a glimpse into the social climate that required elaborate seasonal wardrobes. Curated by textile conservator Jessica Urick, the exhibit also explores the materials and sewing techniques used to hand-craft garments. On display at Rosecliff through mid-November, the exhibit is included with the regular house admission.”

Details here.

Posted in 6 º of Separation, On the Web, Victoriana | No Responses »

Victoriana Magazine Returns

Sunday, March 7th, 2010

Victoriana Magazine, a free online journal of all things Victorian, has returned, and with a new lovely design.

This came to me in an email, which prompted me to visit the new site.

Victoriana Magazine Is Back!

Victoriana Magazine has returned as a new daily blog magazine for Victorian style living featuring fashion and accessories, house remodeling and home decor, entertaining and holidays, food and recipes, history and lifestyles, and much more.
Now you can experience a bit of the 19th century everyday when Victoriana posts a new article related to the Victorian era.

You can receive free updates by email or by your favorite feed reader — you can unsubscribe at any time.

For those who received emails from Victoriana in the past, you will need to sign-up again on our new site to continue using this convenient feature.

Visit Victoriana now to escape to the 19th century!

Posted in On the Web, Victoriana | No Responses »

Victorian Gifts

Wednesday, February 3rd, 2010

For anyone interested in Victorian clothing, gifts, cards, furniture, and jewelry: The Victorian Trading Company. The catalog is first rate and fun to peruse. It is available for you to download as well.

They also offer free E-Greetings that you can send to your pals.

Posted in Book and Media Reviews, Victoriana | No Responses »

History Underfoot, Walking Tour of Oak Grove Cemetery

Monday, September 14th, 2009

The Fall River Garden Club, the Fall River Historical Society, and the Little Theatre of Fall River, Inc., are presenting History Underfoot III, a walking tour of Oak Grove Cemetery.

Guided tours of the grounds featuring characters who knew Lizzie Borden well.

Sunday, October 4, 2009 (raindate October 11), 11 am to 3:30 pm.

Advanced tickets are available at the Fall River Historical Society or at the Prospect Street Gates on day of event.

$15.

Posted in 6 º of Separation, Borden Buzz, Fall River News, Victoriana | No Responses »

Myth-Busting Lizzie Borden: Facts on the Life of an Enigmatic Woman

Wednesday, September 9th, 2009

Stefani Koorey, Ph.D., Borden scholar, will be presenting a free lecture, titled

“Myth Busting Lizzie Borden: Facts on the Life of an Enigmatic Woman”

Presented by the Fall River Historical Society as part of their Lizzie A. Borden Lecture Series.

Lizzie Borden still fascinates. She intrigues us mostly because, even after 117 years, we know very little about her private life. After her acquittal for the murder of her father and stepmother, she remained in Fall River, Massachusetts, and spoke to no one publicly about the case ever again. And yet, there have been more than 30 so-called nonfiction accounts of her to appear in print. What exactly do we know about Lizzie A. Borden? And how has her particular story become more urban legend than authentic narrative?

Stefani Koorey, Ph.D. is a Borden expert and the publisher and editor of The Hatchet: A Journal of Lizzie Borden and Victorian America, in its 6th year of publication. She has been featured in the Discovery Channel’s recent documentary “Lizzie Borden Had an Axe,” and lectures far and wide on the subject. Her most recent discoveries of the portraits of Andrew Borden and his first wife Sarah, as well as the image of Emma Borden as a young woman and Lizzie Borden when she was a child, have helped to renew interest in this fascinating unsolved mystery.

WHEN: Monday, September 14, 2009, at 6:30 PM.

WHERE: Bristol Community College, Fall River, MA
Siegel Health Technologies Building
Room c111

For further information, visit the Fall River Historical Society

View Larger Map

Posted in Book and Media Reviews, Borden Buzz, Fall River News, On the Web, Unabashed Self-Promotion, Victoriana | No Responses »

Lizzie Borden Live Big Success

Friday, August 21st, 2009

Tonight’s performance of Lizzie Borden Live in Fall River, MA, at the Eagle Performing Arts Center, was a grand success.

The audience sat in complete silence as they devoured every syllable of this remarkable play. They cheered as the play ended, many there tonight repeat attendees from the last run of the show in Fall River in June.

Lizzie Borden Live is being performed only one more time this season in Fall River. Saturday night at 8 p.m, August 22, 2009.

Tickets can be purchased at the door and through LizzieBordenLive.com.

See you at the theatre!

Posted in Book and Media Reviews, Borden Buzz, Fall River News, Lizzie 4 Sale, Victoriana | No Responses »

Green Street Update

Tuesday, April 14th, 2009

Things are happening quickly at 132 Green Street in Fairhaven, MA, the former home of the Brownell’s where Emma Borden was visiting on that fateful day in 1892.

Today the vinyl siding is nearly complete. In addition, note the plastic corner boards and window frames. The eaves are also made of plastic.

While the house looks lovely from a distance, looks can be deceiving. What we have here is a fine old home coated in modern ANTI-GREEN materials —-in a sense, coated and dipped in plastic.

This renovation is not the restoration promised by the buyer when first purchased. One wonders what the inside will become.

Purists would rather the house remain damaged and untouched than have the house “ruined” in this way. Others may love the color and ooh and ahh at the fresh clean appearance. “Oh, my,” they will say, “vinyl siding is so much easier to maintain!”

Yes, it may be “easier” but it also literally ruins the historical value of a home. What once had class and character and original wooden shingles and corner boards, now is Barbie’s play house.

I wonder if it smells like plastic on the inside of the house . . . .

Many thanks to Chris Richards for the heads up about the changes as they occur!

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Posted in 6 º of Separation, Are They Crazy?, Borden Buzz, Victoriana, Where are they now? | No Responses »

Fall River History Club

Thursday, July 10th, 2008

The second meeting of the Fall River History Club will be held at the Fall River Public Library on Wednesday, July 16, at 6:30 PM. The speaker will be Karla Moran who will be discussing childhood labor in Fall River during the height of the industrial revolution.

The August 20th club meeting will feature Nick Niles speaking about the Providence Tool Company.

The club meets every third Wednesday of the month. The public is welcome to join or stop by and hear a talk.

Posted in Fall River News, Off Topic, Victoriana | No Responses »