Lizzie Borden Society Forum

Just what do you do with a house where a murder (or murders) has occurred?

Check this news article:

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,369083,00.html

Guess they haven't heard of the Lizzie Borden B&B.

I immediately thought of the owner of Maplecroft, when I read the following paragraph (bold font added by me):

"You want to go through phases," he said. "My advice in the immediate aftermath is to let everyone get it out of their system. If anyone wants to look at the property, let 'em look at it, and let them kind of get it out of their system. When you hide the property, it just amplifies the mystique with it."

The owner of the Tate house tore it down, built another house on the same spot, changed the address (on-line map finders still recognize the old address) and now he can't sell it and last I heard can't even get a broker to list it!

Maybe he should have turned it into a, ahemm, a B&B?

-1bigsteve (o:

What about the famed Amityville house in Long Island, site of the DeFeo murders? I guess it's still occupied?

kssunflower @ Sat Jun 21, 2008 10:15 am wrote:What about the famed Amityville house in Long Island, site of the DeFeo murders? I guess it's still occupied?

Yes it is. Click on Harry's link above and click on "photos" in the article and it will have photos of various crime scenes, including the Amityville house, with a brief description.

-1bigsteve (o:

On the night of March 20, 1958, Gein's home was mysteriously set on fire and it burned to the ground. Arson was suspected but no matter how it ad burned, the people of Plainfield were delighted to see it gone. When Gein, who was incarcerated at the Central State Hospital, learned of the loss, he only uttered three words in response. "Just as well," he said.
http://www.prairieghosts.com/ed_gein.html
http://www.globalpolitician.com/21194-crime


Ed Gein's Farm... Asking price - $250,000. The property was listed on eBay by Mike Fisher, who inherited the property from his grandfather, Emden Schey. Under the heading "Ed Gein's Farm . . . The REAL deal!" in the real estate section of eBay is a photo of the entrance to the property and a description: "40 acres of wooded land and pine plantation, includes site of Ed's home, outbuildings, well, private dump & other artifacts of Gein's life & horrific crimes. This is the first time this property has been offered for sale since the original purchase. . . . Property has electric, newer sand-point well, hunting shack & acres of pine and hardwood. This is not a joke. Serious purchase inquiries only."
http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=413921


The bidding was stopped by eBay on Saturday, five days after it was first listed, said Mike Fisher. In an e-mail to Fisher, eBay said the listing violated its policy against murder memorabilia. The property in central Wisconsin where Gein was arrested... remains for sale, he said.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,191258,00.html

I have never been able to really "get into" a murder case in which women were mutilated in one way or another, whether it was Ed Gein, Jack The Ripper, Ed Kemper, or whoever. I tried reading about the Gein case years ago but I couldn't get through it. It really hits home when you realize that their victim could have been your mother, your daughter, your sister or your friend. Ed Gein is one guy who more than deserved the death penalty, and the others too. Demented people like him have no right living. It turns my stomach knowing Ed Gein lived out his life in "comfort."

-1bigsteve (o:

Steve, I can certainly understand your feelings about murder cases in which women are mutilated. I, on the other hand, have been intrigued with the Ed Gein case since I was a child.

Growing up on a farm in southern Wisconsin, there were many Sunday afternoon car rides with my family. I recall one Sunday afternoon shortly after Ed Gein was arrested - we were driving past a wooded area on a County Hwy near my home, when my father said, "I wonder if Eddie Gein has a body buried in there somewhere".

The part of Wisconsin where I was raised, is no where near Ed Gein's home town, but to this day, every time I drive by that wooded area my father's comment comes to mind. Actually, it was because of my father's comment that I became interested in the Eddie Gein case, and it was because of this case that I became intrigued with the physiological aspect of a killers mind - just what makes a person tick.

When I saw police photos of that woman hanging in Gein's shed like a gutted deer I haven't been able to get into that case. It would be interesting to know how these people think. It would help us spot these freaks before they go too far.

-1bigsteve (o:

I understand what you mean, Steve. They are pretty gross pictures. The first time I saw these pictures was in the book written by Judge Robert H. Gollmer, titled, Edward Gein: America's Most Bizarre Murderer.

I don't know if we would ever know how a murderer's mind works - I'd think we'd have to be insane to understand what in the world they are thinking, then we may not know, for sure!

The book I enjoyed most on Ed Gein is: Deviant: The Shocking True Story of Ed Gein, the Original Psycho by Harold Schechter.