Brownell house condemned

In a recent thread on the Lizzie Borden Society Forum, FairhavenGuy reported that 132 Green Street, in Fairhaven, the house where Emma Borden was staying on August 4, 1892, when the murders took place in Fall River, has fallen further into disrepair and a notice had gone up outside stating that.

Here are photos taken on the 3rd of July that confirm the sad truth that the building inspector has deemed the place unfit for human habitation.

It is also sad that Mr. Bruce is being thrown out of his house by the city of Fairhaven. I am of two minds here. On the one hand I say that a person should be allowed to let his house rot if he feels like it, for after all, it is his house, and last time I checked this was the United States of American, home of the free. And on the other hand, since I do not know the owner or his condition or particular eccentricities, I worry a bit that he might not have the means nor the inclination to fix the property.

I don’t know if the entire house, inside and out, is in as bad a shape as the front of the place, but it is a shame that it has come to this. And since we do not know the whole story, we might reserve judgment on the man and give him the benefit of the doubt.

I do know that this house has been slowly decaying on the front for some number of years. So I wonder how much notice the owner had to vacate and if the city truly has an ordinance or law about upkeep of properties. Perhaps FairhavenGuy will investigate further.

For those interested, here is a history of the town of Fairhaven, Massachusetts.