Lizzie Borden’s Church Getting Makeover
The Central Congregational Church, previous home of the International Culinary Institute and the Abbey Grille, has been purchased and the new owner is hard at work effecting repairs, both inside and out. These images were taken on Wednesday, September 10, 2014, and show the transformation in process. While the tower is still wrapped in the […]
Lizzie Borden Case: Policeman Dennis Desmond
Dennis Desmond was a Fall River police officer for many years and was one of the men who conducted police interviews shortly after the murders of Andrew and Abby Borden. A bit of background on Mr. Desmond appears in The Commonwealth of Massachusetts VS. Lizzie A. Borden; The Knowlton Papers, 1892-1893. Eds. Michael Martins and […]
Lizzie Borden’s Maplecroft Painting Complete
The headline here is an assumption on my part, of course. But a great deal of work has been done on this grand home that it looks finished…. The garage is even sporting new panels and facia boards! The house has been painted a pale yellow with white trim. According to Borden historian Bill Pavao, […]
The Literary Hatchet #9 is now for sale in print!
The new issue of The Literary Hatchet (#9) is now available for sale in print format through our print-on-demand partner CreateSpace. This issue is the largest one yet, at a whopping 204 pages, packed with the best horror and gothic short stories, poetry, artwork, interviews, and reviews on the planet. With authors and contributors world-wide, […]
The Literary Hatchet #9 is Online!
Hot off the presses! The newest issue of The Literary Hatchet is now online for your reading pleasure. This is the biggest issue to date, at 204 pages! Packed with the best short stories, poetry, artwork, interviews, and reviews in the world. With contributors from across the globe, The Literary Hatchet truly represents a wide-ranging […]
Lizzie Borden’s Maplecroft is being painted — yellow
It is about time! Lizzie Borden’s home on “the Hill” on French Street, where she and her sister Emma moved to following Lizzie’s acquittal for the murder of their father and stepmother, is getting quite a facelift. The home has been in terrible disrepair (on the outside that we could see–don’t know about the interior) […]
History.com gets it wrong on Lizzie Borden
This being the weekend of the 122nd anniversary of the murder of Andrew and Abby Borden, someone sent me this link on FaceBook to a piece published just today! Â I was eager to read “9 Things You May Not Know About Lizzie Borden.” Thing is, most of the nine are incorrect and it is obvious […]
First Reactions to Lizzie Borden Episode of Deadly Women
Tonight on Investigation Discovery, the series Deadly Women premiered an episode about the Lizzie Borden case titled “Lady of Blood.” I had high hopes for this documentary as I know first hand the amount of research this production company conducted prior to interviewing me and others in Fall River last October. I really liked the […]
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 […]
Lizzie Borden on Deadly Women, August 1
Investigation Discovery will premiere their 8th season at 9 pm on Friday, August 1, 2014, with an entire hour-long episode devoted to the Lizzie Borden case. The production company came to Fall River in October of last year to interview myself, Michael Martins, Dennis Binette, and Lee-Ann Wilbur about this unsolved case. The research team […]
Lizzie Borden Books, Forthcoming and Now
Just in time for August 4th, a new non-fiction book on Lizzie Borden and the people that surround this most enigmatic of unsolved murder cases is being released this weekend. Lizzie Borden Resurrections: A history of the people surrounding the Borden case before, during, and after the trial is authored by Liz Whiz Sherry Chapman, […]
Harry E. Widdows (1939-2014) ~ With Sadness and with Sorrow
He Is Not Dead I cannot say, and I will not say That he is dead. He is just away. With a cheery smile, and a wave of the hand, He has wandered into an unknown land And left us dreaming how very fair It needs must be, since he lingers there. And you oh […]
Vandalism at Fall River’s Oak Grove Cemetery
On the 16th of April, on a tip from a fellow Fall River History Club member, I visited Oak Grove Cemetery and Sarah Cornell’s grave. I was told that Sarah’s stone had been knocked over and was lying flat on the ground. Indeed it was. But looking around I noticed a larger problem than one […]
Lizzie Borden Inspired Book Drive
In the “Most Unique Mention of Lizzie Borden” category we find an item from Pocatello, Idaho. A theatre company has produced a play about Lizzie and the murders titled Over The Fence: Hearsay, Hatchets, and Homicide while at the same time asking for donations of books for women in prison. The Old Town Actor’s Studio […]
Lizzie Borden Events at the Raynham Public Library
On Wednesday, April 2, 2014, I will be presenting a lecture titled “Lizzie Borden in Popular Culture” at the Raynham Public Library in Raynham, Massachusetts. The event is free and open to the public. Lecture begins at 1 PM. She’s everywhere! She’s everywhere!
Lizzie Borden on Church Secrets and Legends March 30
This Sunday, March 30, 2014, at 10 PM, Travel Channel is opening their new season of Church Secrets and Legends with a look at Lizzie Borden and her association with the Central Congregational Church in Fall River. Here is a preview: https://www.travelchannel.com/videos/lizzie-bordens-church-0220039 This show’s hook is that the church is now cursed because the congregation […]
Lizzie Borden’s Maplecroft: Preserved or Neglected?
When the current owner of Lizzie Borden’s Maplecroft, the home she purchased with her sister Emma Borden following her acquittal in 1893, bought the property in 1980 for the reduced price of $60,000, an article appeared in the local Fall River Herald News discussing the sale and offering a few details of the new owners, […]
Lizzie Borden’s Maplecroft Significant Price Drop
Every year, around the August 4th anniversary of the murders of Andrew and Abby Borden, the current owner of Maplecroft, Lizzie Borden’s home on the hill (which she purchased with her sister Emma Borden following her acquittal of the murders), places his home on the market. Each time he has asked an outrageous price, starting […]