Lizzie Borden Society Forum

HI !!!
:birthdaysmile:

It was a house w/3 adult women and Andrew Borden hired a full-time cook/housekeeper. That should give pause to those who believe he was a monster of miserliness.

Steve, don't you think the fact that they had a servant means people should re-evaluate the idea that Andrew Borden was a really stingy man? He simply was not! This is a myth about the Borden case. He had 3 adult women in that house yet he hired help for them. That doesn't make sense if he was a penny pincher.

What I've been able to read on hired house help in the 1800's, it was very common for middle class and higher to have hired house help in that era, particularly for cooking and laundry, which were part of Bridget's responsibilities.

While Andrew may have been frugal, I don't think it has been fair to label him a miser or cheapskate. Problem for Andrew was that his daughter may have viewed him as miserly and an obstacle to a lifestyle that she desired.

It wouldn't surprise me if the Europe trip with the other Borden girls opened her eyes up to the possibilities. Everything after was a buildup to August 4.

I know it just doesn't make sense. I have read that he even suggested to the girls that they look for a different house if they wanted but they wanted their father to have the convenience of walking to his places of business easily. The fact that he gave them the things that they wanted like tons of dresses and trips to Europe. But I think the part that I am stuck on is the fact they did not have a proper bathroom somewhere other than the cellar. No hot water - and old fashioned lighting. Maybe he didn't think of those things and the girls never said anything.

Actually, recent research has shown the plumbing-less Borden house to be a myth. When it became available, Andrew Borden had it put in the house.
The fact is that the oppressive miserly monstrous Andrew Borden is a legend. He was not that terrible of a person.

Denise, have u been in the house? I haven’t and was wondering if anyone has tested or knows if Bridget in the kitchen would have likely heard a body hitting the floor? Even if there was a thump, would someone elsewhere in the house think it was a big deal if a scream or something didn’t accompany it.

I would think plumbing - was available. It was available to other homes -why not to a man that was worth 300K ? It's just a weirdo thing to think about everybody at the dinner table - Mrs. Borden ringing for the servant and no modern plumbing other than a couple of sinks and a water closet in the cellar.

I recall an article in "The Lizzie Borden Quarterly" that reported that, contrary to myth, the Borden house was among the first to boast indoor plumbing.

They must have had indoor plumbing in the sink room near the kitchen and in the cellar and barn but IDK about upstairs - in fact there is no floor plan drawn by the engineer or by Edwin Porter that shows a bathroom type of room upstairs.

You are correct, no plumbing on 2nd floor. The kitchen had a sink with running water in the southeast corner.