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 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 […]
Review to the Reviews of Lizzie Borden Took an Axe by Fiction Author Michael Brimbau
It seems more appropriate, I think, to have a fiction writer give their take on the Lifetime network TV movie Lizzie Borden Took An Axe. Most historians hated the film for mostly historical reasons (I was not among them). Since this film is entertainment first, perhaps we can look to the fiction writer for their […]
Mock Lizzie Borden Trial on C-Span
This oldie but goodie, from September 16, 1997, and posted on C-SPAN. It cannot be embedded here, but you can go watch the 90 minute show here. Note the judges: William Rehnquist and Sandra Day O’Connor. This moot court concerned the case of Lizzie Borden, who in 1892 was accused of murdering her father and […]
Lizzie Borden Took an Axe in Fall River Event Reviewed
My good friend Phil Devitt, editor of the Fall River Spirit, wrote a charming piece about the TapHouse Grille’s Lizzie Borden Took an Axe party that was held on January 25. We had a grand time, even though we couldn’t hear most of the dialogue. We were joined by Lizzie Borden historians Bill Pavao (former […]
Lizzie Borden Took an Axe: A Review
While I may have become, through time and intensive study, some sort of an expert on the Lizzie Borden murder case, I am first and foremost a theatre professional. My training and education is primarily in this subject—as a teacher, professor, storyteller, and practitioner. I am always eager to see a play, musical, opera, ballet, […]
Lizzie Borden Lecture in September in Fall River
I have been invited by the Marine Museum of Fall River to present a lecture on Lizzie Borden on Thursday, September 26, at 7 PM. The event is free and open to the public. Please attend!
Lizzie Borden in Today’s Herald News
It is a Lizzie Borden day in the Fall River Herald News. A special insert has been printed with photos, a timeline, and stories about the goings-on around town tomorrow, the 121st anniversary of the murder of Andrew and Abby Borden. Cool, huh?
Lizzie Borden Events This Weekend
From today’s Providence Journal comes another great piece by Paul Davis on Lizzie Borden, this time detailing the goings-on in Fall River on Sunday, the 121st anniversary of the murder of Andrew and Abby Borden. He interviews three Michaels: Michael Shogi, Michael Martins, and Michael Thomas Brimbau! Actors will recreate the crime at the Lizzie […]