The season of Christmas is upon us and warrants a peek at how Lizzie Borden’s family celebrated. And what is Christmas without a showing of that famous “It’s a Wonderful Life” film?  This version has Deadwood’s Al Swearingen, Marshal Hilliard, and Little Lee-ann Wilber along with Andrew, Emma, and of course, our dear Lizzie. Just click on the titles to get started.  And be sure to have your sound on! IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE WITH THE BORDENS! Those lovable ... Read Full Story

Image by Danny Evans ….seem to be everywhere. And they are mostly copied from one place to another, i.e., YouTube to MySpace to Hulu to Blog posts, and on and on.  Video Regurgitation.  Some are really bad and some are quite entertaining.  But consider all the cell phones with video capability out there.  And those B&B tourists who have them and do a minute video and call it their Lizzie Borden movie.  Here are some samplings.  (Just click on them). Salem Exhibit “MySpace̶... Read Full Story

Lizzie has sat down and made out a list for what she is thankful for on Thanksgiving, 1891: I’m thankful for all the things I get to do at Central Congregational Church.  (They like me!  They really, really like me!) I’m thankful I got accepted as Secretary to the Women’s Board of the Fall River Hospital.  (They all like my penmanship). I’m thankful Emma knows how to keep her mouth shut. I’m thankful I’m a Borden. I’m thankful I have so many books. I’m thankful father pays my bills at... Read Full Story

The Lizzie Borden Bed & Breakfast/Museum Gift Shop is a splendid choice for selecting a Christmas gift for your friends who share your interest in Lizzie Borden. (Click on images for larger views) Susan Hauck, who gives tours and works in the Gift Shop was Curator for the outstanding GalleryX Exhibit of “Lizzie Borden – A Tale of Two Cities” held in New Bedford. On my recent visit to Fall River, I took Bob Dube, owner of Maplecroft to the B&B and to chat with Susan w... Read Full Story

The once beautiful Gothic Glamor Girl of Fall River, the Central Congregational Church on Rock Street, suffered her last years as the Abby Grille.   As seen by clicking these images,  you get an “up close and personal” view of the progressive decay and neglect to her exterior. Around the 10th of this month, vandals broke in through a basement door and did extensive damage to the interior of Abby Grille.  This structure was the former Central Congregational Church – Lizzie B... Read Full Story

Lucy S. Macomber headstone at Oak Grove Cemetery.  She was a school chum of Lizzie’s (the class ahead of her) and listed as the 17th bequest in Lizzie’s will, receiving $1,000. Fall River Locust Street residence of Grace Hartley Howe and Louis McHenry Howe.  He wrote her many letters to this address while he resided with Franklin and Eleanor in New York. Grace’s Fall River cottage home on Martha Street with lovely view of the Taunton River.  She lived here during her years... Read Full Story

So do you have too much time on your hands but still can’t get done what needs to get done?  Feel like you are pressured for producing?  Feel like you are falling back on deadline promises? Have you been unemployed for a long while and feel like there’s not enough time to make up for what you’ve lost?  Are you stressed that you are at the half century mark of your life and know that the  second half provides you less time than the first? Is Time  slipping away or stretched o... Read Full Story

I’ll be doing a review shortly on Julie’s new book that came out last month:  FDR’s Shadow the Force that Shaped Franklin & Eleanor Rooswevelt . I wanted to wait until I got a chance to review those letters – and more – at the FDR Library which I did just recently. Julie M. Fenster’s, award winning author and historian,  new book Julie has reciprocated in helping me with my own research at the FDR Library in Hyde Park, NY.   We now hav... Read Full Story

A print of this collage, which I created back in 1999, still hangs on the refrigerator at the Lizzie Borden B&B. (click on image for larger view) Back from visit Northeast with scads of voice mail, emails and snail mail to catch up on. Some pointed reflections that I may elaborate on later: 1. Twisted Restaurant in Hyde Park. 2. Two FR senior guys at Rosario’s – turns out one has a home at Rim Country Club Estates here in Payson. 3. Letters from Mary Hartley to Grace Hart... Read Full Story

Arrived Boston yesterday afternoon.  Friends Tom and Rita picked me up at Logan and we went directly to Chinatown for dim sum before heading to their lovely home  outside of Boston. I brought Tom and Rita a copy of Rebello’s Lizzie Borden – Past & Present which they did not have. Their son Mark came by  (shown here in foreground with dad Tom in the background). Today we did the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum which I hadn’t been to in about 5 years; walked around the Har... Read Full Story