Lizzie Borden Happenings, August 1-4, 2014
Is it that time of year again? Wow, the year is just rushing by.
The anniversary (122 years) of the murders of Andrew and Abby Borden is once again upon us and there are quite a number of Lizzie Borden events scheduled for those who are visiting Fall River and those who are not. In other words, something for everyone! Here is a rundown of them —so make your plans! I post them in the order in which they will occur.
Friday, August 1, 2014 Investigation Discovery network premieres “Lady of Blood,” an hour-long documentary on the life and times of Lizzie Borden. We have high hopes that this will be a true history of the story instead of another gossip, myth, and innuendo-filled hit piece. The preview looks pretty good and I know they did their homework on the back end of this show, reading the Fall River Historical Society’s mighty tome Parallel Lives: A Social History of Lizzie A. Borden and Her Fall River, trial transcripts, and interviewing authorities on the case.
Read about it here in a great piece by Phil Devitt of the Fall River Spirit.
Show airs at 9PM EST, and will be repeated forever and ever, I am sure. Here is a clip to whet your whistle.
Saturday, August 2, 2014 Falls Church, Virginia, the American Legion Post 130 is hosting their fourth annual Lizzie Borden Axe Throwing Contest.
From the event’s website:
Registered contestants will put their skills to the test by throwing three tomahawk-sized axes at woodblock targets for several rounds. Contestants accumulate points for each axe that lodges into the target. At the conclusion of several rounds, the top contestants will compete for first, second, and third places. The top three throwers will receive medals and the first place winner will also be awarded a tactical tomahawk made by SOG Knives.
This event is also important because it will mark the first time Post 130 will award axe-throwing rankings for contestants. “This is the marquee event for axe-throwing and will give contestants a leg up on future axe-throwing competitions where individual ranking will allow a person to challenge others with higher rankings. The winner of the 2014 Lizzie Borden Axe Throwing Contest will be declared MASTER OF THE AXE.” All contestants will receive a 16 oz pint glass with the Lizzie Borden logo.
If you have never thrown an axe before, that’s fine; we will provide throwing and safety instruction before the competition begins so you can feel confident even as a new axe-thrower.
Contestants must be 18 years of age or older.
Most importantly, join us after the competition for socializing until late in the evening. We will have craft beer on tap and we promise that it will be affordably priced (think rural Virginia prices, not DC prices). A food truck will be on site to take care of your hunger.
We will also have other activities such as a 50/50 raffle and a raffle for SOG Tactical Tomahawk. “If it’s too hot outside, you can go inside and play a game of pool for 50 cents. Yes, 50 cents.” The horseshoe pit will be open after the competition as well.
To commemorate the event, we will be selling pint glasses with the Lizzie Borden logo.
Schedule:
10 a.m.: Registration opens. Axe-throwing and safety instruction provided.
11 a.m.: Contest begins.
3 to 4 p.m.: Estimated time the contest will end. Points will be tallied and awards will be given to the top three contestants.
4 p.m.: Post-contest festivities begin. Horseshoe pit will open for a horseshoe throwing tournament; no cost to participate. The hall and club bar will be open and selling craft beer for quenching your thirst. We will have the raffle drawing for the 50/50 and the SOG Tactical Tomahawk.
9 p.m.: The event is officially over. Post 130′s club and bar area may remain open, subject to the manager’s discretion
I really wish I could see this. What a grand idea for a fundraiser and community activity! How ingenious!Â
Good luck to all participants—and safe throwing!
Sunday, August 3, 2014 A couple of events.
There will be a book signing at the Fall River Historical Society of a brand new book by Sherry Chapman titled Lizzie Borden Resurrections: A history of the people surrounding the Borden case before, during, and after the trial. This non-fiction book is sure to be a huge seller and a must-have for anyone who studies the murder case.
The book signing takes place from noon until 3PM at the Fall River Historical Society, 451 Rock Street, Fall River, MA. The book is $21.95 and well worth the price, considering the heft of this tome!
Also on the 3rd, a new addition to the Lizzie Borden-themed events. The Fall River Spirit, under the editorship of Phil Devitt, will be conducing a live tweet of the case, as it unfolds, starting on the evening of the 3rd. You won’t want to miss this! Here is how they describe the event:
“Join the Fall River Spirit Aug. 4 as we bring you updates in real time from the scene of the crime. How long did it take for the authorities to respond? How quickly did the news spread through the city? Follow RealTimeLizzie on Twitter, where, using testimony, newspaper reports, and other historical records, we’ll reproduce the events of the day that shook Fall River and the nation. The tweets begin the night of August 3, so be sure to follow.”
I know I will be following this!
Monday, August 4, 2014 The big day with two big events scheduled.
The Fall River Historical Society will display “the only known photograph taken from inside of Lizzie Borden’s French Street home while she was living there.” (Fall River Spirit). Â Read all about it here!
The Historical Society will be offering special tours of their Lizzie Borden exhibit on the 4th. From the Fall River Herald News of July 31, 2014:
By Deborah Allard
July 31. 2014 7:14PM
Rare photo taken inside Lizzie Borden’s home will be unveiled to public on Monday
Fall River Historical Society says image is only one known that gives view inside Maplecroft; exhibit featuring photo and other items will open Aug. 4, the 122nd anniversary of the Borden killings.FALL RIVER — A rare photograph taken inside Lizzie Borden’s French Street home will be displayed at the Fall River Historical Society on Monday, the 122nd anniversary of the Borden murders.
Society Curator Michael Martins said it is the only image taken inside the house that has surfaced to date.
“It’s an original,” Martins said. “It is extremely rare. It’s another instance when Lizzie hired a photographer.”
The only other known photo shot at Maplecroft was taken outside on the piazza and is of Lizzie and her dog on the back porch.
The recently acquired sepia-colored image that dates to Victorian times is being kept confidential until it is unveiled Monday. It is of a subject matter that was obviously dear to Lizzie.
The photo offers a small yet first-ever look inside the house, now known as Maplecroft, that Lizzie shared with her sister, Emma, after she was acquitted in the killings of her father and stepmother.
The image was taken by an unknown photographer and then framed by Edward S. Wright at 45 N. Main St., according to the now brown and thin paper label behind the original frame.
Martins said the photograph, donated to the society earlier this year, has been authenticated.
“It has to be what it is purported to be without a shadow of a doubt,” Martins said.
Lizzie, around 1899, gifted the photograph to her personal maid Ida S. Carlson who was getting married to Bennett Peter Soderman. The details as to why Lizzie gave Carlson the photograph are lost to history.
When Carlson passed, the photograph was acquired by a relative, whose descendant donated it to the society.
“Once we uncover these items, we make them available publicly,” Martins said.
The same person also donated Lizzie’s 14-karat gold American Waltham Watch Co. watch in a hand-engraved case in 2009. The watch was bequeathed by Lizzie in 1927 to Carlson’s daughter, Alice Isabel Soderman.
The pocketwatch will also be on display at the society, along with other items in the “Echoes of Lizzie” special exhibit running Monday through mid-October.
There will be rare and recently discovered personal and business correspondence related to Lizzie, including Borden investment materials, and a note from Emma Borden to a friend in 1907.
“It tells us what she was thinking at the time,” Martins said.
Also on display will be original crime scene photographs and trial exhibits, a hatchet missing its handle that was found the day of the crime and other items.
“We try to debunk some of the myths and present the facts,” Martins said.
Also starting Monday, raffle tickets will go on sale for a rare copy of “The Commonwealth of Massachusetts -vs- Lizzie A. Borden: The Knowlton Papers 1892-1893” by Michael Martins and Dennis Binette.
“The Knowlton Papers” was the first collection of primary-source documents on the Borden case to ever appear in print. The Fall River Historical Society published the groundbreaking work in 1994 in a limited edition of 1,000 copies.
Martins said it is among the most sought-after books on the Borden case and rarely, if ever, appears on the market in its original, unopened packaging.
This uncirculated copy is valued at $350. Raffle tickets are $5 each and can be purchased at the society or by calling 508-679-1071, extensions 1 or 2. The drawing will be held in October.
Tours of the society, at 451 Rock St., on Monday will be offered every 45 minutes from 9 a.m. to 3:15 p.m., except from noon to 1 p.m. Admission is $8 for adults and $6 for children.
And of course, last but never least, the Lizzie Borden B&B will once again be hosting their Lizzie Borden reenactment event at the murder house at 92 Second Street. Tickets go very fast for this outstanding event so you should call and book your tour now! I have personally been to many of these shows, and have never been disappointed. Great work goes into this tour, and you will not be disappointed! I guarantee it!
So did I leave anything out?
Enjoy your weekend. And share this posting with your friends! They will thank you for it.