Lizzie Borden Society Forum

I think I know why no one in the Borden family, including the maid, slept in the front of the house. We wondered why the guest room had no family member lodged there- why Emma did not take that room as oldest Borden Miss.

Well, I think it is because of street noise. We had the front south attic bedroom and I was awakened about 7:30 by the buses starting out across the street. I'd think the noise would be similar back in the day.

Also, the dust from the street must have been intrusive. The front dress closet had drapes over the clothing and sheets or paper covering the window because of light and dust.

It probably was fashionable to not have your bedroom on the street.

I really wish I had gone for the Trip now, I considered it, I even went as far as to start to make arangements, but there are things at home here to deal with. The other thing is the weather in Fall River in August, I know it gets warm there as it is part of the Lizzie Story. I didn't think I would enjoy myself that much in the heat.

Later, I looked at the forecast for Fall River the week of the Aniversary and it was a Low of 22 Celcius and a High of 28 Celcius. That is like the temeratures we had here 2 years ago in a heat wave, I could barely stand it in the shade much less in the sun.

Mabe I can do it if you have a trip in cooler weather. It's too bad I missed you all in Oct 2004, to me the weather was nice then. Of course I never knew about any of you or the Forum then. If I do decide to make the trip in warm weather I guess I can wear lighter clothing and put on sunblock.

As it turned out, August 4th, for once, was very pleasant and dry, if a little overcast at times. We had had a heat wave the week before with record temps reaching 100 on the Wednesday before, then it broke Thursday. So by Friday morning we were all glad to have the cooler weather, especially dragging around yards of cotton calico for the re-enactments. The past two weeks have been great too, and even Fall-like.
Last August 4th was horrific-high humidity and temps. A water main broke on Pleasant Street, so we had to buy bottled water to make lemonade for the visitors and the air conditioner in the house was so overwhelmed it conked out, and froze up. We had stayed up with all the windows open the night before , making cookies in the old stove in the kitchen. Along about 6 p.m., even in hot weather, there is usually a breeze which comes east across the Taunton river. It billows into the north end of the house, and with the parlor and diningroom windows open, and that side screen door open-a beautiful breeze wafts through.

Here are some cellar pictures I took on the Thursday night we stayed at the B&B, August 10th. I spent time in the cellar but not the second floor! I don't know why!

This is the front cellar by the street. If you go round that white brick chimney into the room to the left was where the hatchet head was found.
Where this heater is in the photo was pretty much where the Borden's furnace was in 1892.

--This is the middle cellar ceiling. Where I drew the line is about the outside of the area which would have been under the Borden sofa. I could not take a photo of the exact spot because there is a florescent light fixture there to the right which I had turned on. The area then, under the light and more to the right was the largest area of ceiling under the sofa.

--This is where the sink was located in Lizzie's day. This is where she leaned down that Thursday night. She had set the light down behind her to the west.
This is the east back wall of the cellar. Directly to the left is the cellar door to the steps to the outer cellar door.

This sink area would be under the kitchen, and on the second floor under Andrew's bedroom, and on the attic floor, under Bridget's room probably.

--Here is the ceiling below the kitchen. This is what it looks like in that earlier *sink room* picture.
This is what the kitchen floor might have looked like- the wood part- the width of the planks at least. That is what Bill Pavao showed me back in the days when the House was for sale.

--This is the laundry area from Bridget's day. Opposite this, and behind, to the left, is the sink area.
I had not seen the depth of this pan. I had thought it was shallow, but you can see how deep it is now.

Here is the chimney place in a larger view. I see the *face* in the chimney now. I did not know about it when I took my pic.

--Cellar door. To the right is where the sink was in Bridget's day.

Cellar door- larger view.
I only took House photos in the sitting room, parlour and cellar. It's weird.

In this one area where the Borden's laundry sink used to be, it may look slightly disorganized, but let me assure you the cellar was overall in great shape, very organized, very clean and neat.

Let me know if you guys liked the pics?
Or are you guys tired of House pictures?

Who could get tired of house pictures? Not me.

I wonder if you spent so much time in the cellar because you'd established a kind of intimacy with it during all that research for your article in the Hatchet?

I'm glad you pointed out the depth of that sink pan, too. It appeared much shallower in previous pictures I've seen. And it's also interesting to get an idea of the plank width in the kitchen flooring.

I've been to the house twice -- but never down in the cellar.

I was wondering if that's the same pan!

That's all of my House photos this trip.

I love the house picture...and your descriptions are great too.





Tracy...

These are great -The Man in the Chimney is the big hit of the nightime tour. We take photos with and without the light on-and occasionally scare ourselves. Did you manage to get a good one of the cat in the woodgrain of the headboard in the Borden's bed?

Thanks you guys.
No I did not visit the second floor.

Shelley, is that the same pan that was there in Bill Pavao's day?

I love the cellar pictures!
About the cellar walls, are they rough stone blocks? Or something else? And the dividing walls would have been brick?

Airmid.

Hi, Kat!

I like seeing the cellar, because our tour didn't go there. Is that pan a copper for laundry? WoW! If it is, it could be the one Bridget did laundry in.

--Lyddie

If you are speaking of the cauldron which sits in the chimney, I should imagine it is the original. It is a perfect fit for the cavity beneath it, which incidently has wood ash heaped deep beneath it. LeeAnn says she plans to have a leisurely sifting through that mountain of accumulated ash this winter! It is not copper, -by the weight of it, I suspect it may be some kind of cast metal.

Thanks Shelley. If you know it is the same pan, then I really never noticed how deep it was! I think the brick is crumbling a bit so more of it is exposed.

As for the make-up of the walls?
I can't answer that, but Shelley probably can:

Airmid asks:

"About the cellar walls, are they rough stone blocks? Or something else? And the dividing walls would have been brick?"

Harry happy in the barn loft! With Shelley on the left and me peeking on the right.
Remember, it was a full moon, and right after a thunderstorm!
That reminds me: I forgot to tell you guys we went through a big thunderstorm that night in the House!

Shelley wanted to go to Oak Grove that night but we thought it was too late at night. I don't know where she gets her energy!

Stefani and I had gone to bed in the street-side Jenning's room in the attic and then heard a weird sound: <blipblipblip> We got back up and I stood on a chair and Stefani had her eyes peeled into the closet- she was checking the emergency light in the room wall socket and the sprinkler in the closet from her position and I was listening to the smoke alarm and the A/C vent from my vantage point on the chair.

For about 20 minutes we had listened in diferent parts of the room. It took that long because the <blipblipblip> only repeated about every 5 minutes.

I thought how strange for me to be standing on a chair in the middle of the night at the Borden House with my ear cocked to a smoke alarm!

Well, it turned out to be my cell phone letting me know it was on and the battery was drained! It was in my purse next to my pillow- yet I could not tell!

What was interesting was that we could not tell from where the sound came. Stefani said it was probably because of that steep ceiling angle!

We wondered at what Bridget might have heard in her room daily or nightly- and whether she too had had a problem identifying a noise and from where it came!?

The chimney is all-brick which has been painted on this side many times over the years with white paint, the backside of the chimney, in the little room with the open crevice has been left the natural brick color.

The photos really came out great! I never have any luck with night shots. I slept in Jennings this weekend and thought of you and Stef, Kat. Somehow, I always feel "safe" in that room, except for bumping my head on the low ceiling angle at one end!

Stefani does a heck of a job with night pictures. They are really WOW!

I forgot to tell you guys that Harry almost fell into the Quequechan! In downtown Fall River!
It was late at night and Michael B. took us to the place where the river pours down a waterfall and goes under a building.
It is fenced, but you can hear the water pouring as you near the site.

Harry reached out to steady his footing to take a photo and it turned out the fencing was a GATE! And it swung open!
Harry is really light on his feet- like a dancer! But I grabbed his belt from behind just in case.

He almost was swallowed under a building by the force of the Quequechan!!

To see what the place looks like, see Michael B.'s article in the current Hatchet, pg. 14.

(Shameless plug )

The next morning, Friday I awoke in my cot near the front window. I was drowsy and heard a faraway voice, seemingly of a young boy, saying: "I want that!"
I heard it 3 times. The 3rd time sounded very faint.
I thought of the drowned children and their game of marbles. I thought of one child winning the game and the other not paying up with the captured marble...
The sun was streaming in the winbdow. I was not scared. I allowed my mind to drift. Then I heard something like it again. It was a flock of seagulls hovering around the roof! That was the sound of their call!

Oh how the mind can imagine almost anything in that house- especially when it's primed with good stories.. Those pesky gulls are there every morning after the trash in the dumpster by the bus station.

Friday we had not a lot of time. That was the day after that London airport scare and we were advised to get to the airport 3 hours early. We did some running around and then went to Swansey.

Here is a photo of a dead-end road we happened to turn down.
The water view was to the right and across the street on the left was this "Friendship Cottage."

"Friendship Cottage."

Welcome! I think...?

Of course we had to visit "Riverby." The Gardner place. This is where Emma's body was shipped to on the train to lie in wake.

[If the pic is cut off on the side, please click on the pic in the box]
Here is the front:

For Tracy! Here is the back!

THANK YOU Kat !!! That is great ! I always wondered what the back looked like. Your photo of the front is wonderful too ! Good memories for me !





Tracy...

Yes I think Len took you there on a sightseeing tour? Before we ever saw it...

The back of Riverby was my last photo I took.

Harry took this one- he has donated it to the *cause.*
I was returning to the car after checking the address.
(I really did wear lots of other clothes on this trip!)

I'm putting up more pics of me because I don't have to ask my permission first! It's faster- that's the only reason.

Real coul photos Kat; enjoyed them exceedingly. The photo taken at the end of the road at Friendship Cottage shows my playground. Stand there long enough and you may just see me sail by.