Lizzie Borden Society Forum

From 1992. A very rare look at the inside of Maplecroft. My favorite shot is from the window looking out on French Street at the end.

Enjoy!

http://lizzieandrewborden.com/MondoLizzie/

THANK YOU!!!

That was my first glance of the inside!!!!

Hi, Thank you so much Stefani for sending that link. I was in Fall River last month and took pictures of Maplecroft and just wished I could go inside. Really appreciated seeing it.

Mine too! wish it would have been longer!! how long ago was it done?

shakiboo @ Sat Jan 13, 2007 11:48 am wrote:Mine too! wish it would have been longer!! how long ago was it done?

I wish they'd let Shelley inside with her camera!!! That would be great!

Cool! Thank you so much, Stefani!!! Just amazing to get even a small glimpse like that and to have a face to go with dubiousmike's posts now. It would be lovely to have some sort of floorplan for Maplecroft, just to have the whole layout of the house. Thanks again, truly a great way to start the weekend!

Wow! That was just wonderful! What a great house. I was wasting some time today at work and went online to the Maps and was doing an aerial look at Fall River. It looks to be a fairly good sized city.

I did photograph some interiors in 1992 under the condition that I would never publish them. For security reasons, Bob Dube wishes his privacy, and I would not want to undermine his trust nor break my promise. I could do a write-up though, with maybe some diagrams. When Mr. Dube sells or leaves the house, then I will feel under no further obligation.

The Mondo excerpt from Channel 6, Providence was during the 1992 Centennial Conference week and features Michael Dube as tour guide showing the front entry foyer which has that wonderful fireplace at the foot of the staircase. One enters through double wooden doors, which still have the brass "B" with the center removed. To the left is or was at the time, a spinet piano. Straight ahead is the dogleg staircase to the left with a built-in banquette in the foyer across from the fireplace and further up the entry hall, straight ahead is the large curved arch entrance into the diningroom. To the right of the front door is the curved arch entrance to the reception parlor- a very large room with a fireplace and grand piano.

There is a portrait in oil of Anna Borden there. The amazing thing about Maplecroft is the warm golden tones in the natural, stained woodwork and the parquet floor. The rooms themselves, by Victorian standards, are fairly plain and boxy-clean lines. Of course in 1892, Lizzie may have had dark, rich papers on the walls which would really have looked magnificent against that woodwork.

There are just a few steps up the first short run of stairs, with a window, so the stairs are bright. The dog leg run is perhaps 12-13 stairs and there used to be a small stained glass window at the top on the west wall. The newel post with spherical globe finial, spindles, and balustrade are all the same rich, warm wood which curve right down into that built-in banquette in the foyer. I imagine Lizzie must have sat there to take off her boots and toast her toes by the fireplace. There is, what I think was a coat closet in the foyer tucked underneath the staircase.

There is a lot of light coming into the back of the parlor, which runs a very long portion of the east side of the first floor, high windows with beautiful stained cove molding all along the top of the ceiling. It must have been a lovely room for entertaining. The foyer fireplace is much fancier than the parlor fireplace and has such beautiful end corbels holding up the mantel and is richly stained. I picture Nance and one of her troupe at the piano. The end of the clip shows just a glimpse of the second floor bedroom triple window with built in window seat, what has been called Lizzie's winter bedroom. The windows are hung with blue tie-back Priscilla curtains with wide ruffle. This is the room with the famous poem about "Old time friends" carved into the south wall (French Street side) which has little lucky clovers interspersed around the poem. This room has French doors opening from the hall and I always wondered if this might not be the room she may have been laid out in.

I was on this first tour of the first day the house was open and remember the film crews, but more especially it was when I first met Len Rebello standing at the foot of the stairs -a very lucky day for me all around

I see Deborah Ali in the film- twice!
The first "Lizzie."
I just met her this summer thru Bill, Len and Shell.

My first thought upon seeing the clip is the marked differences between Maplecroft and 92 Second. We get a good look at Lizzie's "dream" here and see what she wanted out of life. But then, sadly, one realizes just how large those rooms must have seemed with just one person to enjoy them.
Thank you for sharing this rare find, Stefani!

Wow!! That was a nice little clip. I always wondered what the inside looked like. I can understand why Mr. Dube wants his privacy.

Too bad I moved to the area too late. To think I live 5 minutes from maplecroft, but probably will never get to see the house on the inside
unless it's sold to someone who will open up tours or make it a B+B
again.

What a great clip!!! Thanks Stefani!

I wonder what happened between Lizzie and Anna Borden after the trial.

The juxtaposition between the the voice-over indicating the artwork is ‘all to Borden’s specifications’ and Mr. Dube pointing out the picture of Anna Borden (although he refers to her as ‘Amanda’ Borden) leaves the impression that it was Lizzie who put a portrait of Anna in the house -- but is this the case, do you think? – or was this picture added to the furnishings after Lizzie’s death?

The prosecution called Anna Borden as a witness to provide testimony that, on the return trip from their European jaunt in 1890, Lizzie told Anna she “regretted the necessity of returning home after she had such a happy summer, because the home that she was about to return to was such an unhappy home.” (Moody’s words: Trial, 1173) But her testimony was excluded because the judges were “of the opinion that the character of the testimony offered, the expressions used, are too ambiguous, so that aside from its remoteness the evidence is not competent.” (Trial 1177)

When Anna's relationship was discussed on this forum previously, it appeared the two were distant cousins because their great-grandfathers were brothers. But this relationship is not recognized in a lot of Lizzie sources. Rebello, Porter, Sullivan, Radin, Hixon and Pearson all say she is not related to Lizzie. Only Hoffman and Spiering maintain she is Lizzie’s cousin.

Ambiguity as to the relationship between Lizzie and Anna Borden starts here:
Q. (By Mr. Moody.) What is your full name?
A. Anna H. Borden.
Q. You live in Fall River, Miss Borden, do you?
A. Yes, sir.
Q. And have all your life?
A. Yes, sir.
Q. You are, I believe, not a relative of the prisoner?
A. No, sir. [Which, to me, implies ‘No, Sir … I am not.’ However others feel she is contradicting Moody here and indicating she is, in fact, related.]
Q. How long have you known her?
A. About five years. [Which again, to me, reinforces that, although the two have lived in Fall River all their lives, she is a recent friend of Lizzie’s – and not a relative.] (Trial, 1170+)

Porter, who probably heard Anna in person, took her answer to mean she was not a relative -- and newspaper articles appearing the day she was on the stand say she was not related. (June 15, 1893.)

Later in the trial, Emma Borden is questioned as to whether the guest room was used for entertaining:
“Q. Did you receive your friends there?
A. Oh, just as it happened. If it was some one we were very well acquainted with and we were in there sewing, we had them come up. . . .
. . . Q. Didn't you usually receive Miss Russell there?
A. Very often.
Q. Didn't you usually receive Miss Anna Borden there?
A. No, sir; she was never in that room in her life.” (Trial, 1564) [emphasis mine]

It seems as if Emma is saying here that Alice Russell was someone the sisters were well acquainted with and Anna Borden was not -- and perhaps hoping to imply that, because Anna was not considered close, it was unlikely Lizzie confided in her.

But whether Anna Howland Borden was related to Lizzie or was simply a friend, she was someone obviously prepared to bolster the prosecution’s case when they endeavored to show Lizzie had motive to kill her parents.

Consequently it seems a little odd to me that her portrait would grace Maplecroft.

I wondered about that portrait too. I thought it could have been added to the decor later for aunthenticity. Besides, I believe Lizbeth's belongings were pretty much distributed amongst her legatees. And then there was an estate clearance, I assume, because I have heard of that with Maplecroft.

That was a really good post, Diana. Informative. Thank you!
Is Anna Borden and Ann Howland Borden the same person?

Oops... Thanks, Kat ... I'd omitted the last 'a' in Anna's name -- just went in and corrected it in my previous post.

Yes, it seems that the Anna H. Borden who testified at the trial is Anna Howland Borden and she is profiled in Rebello on page 20.

The portrait, which he told me was Anna Borden on several occasions, was purchased by Mr. Dube and added to the decor in the parlor. It was purchased in Fall River.

Thanks, Shelley. That makes more sense. It did seem unlikely that Lizzie, herself, would hang a portrait of Anna Borden.

I'm guessing, too, that Mr. Dube saying 'Amanda' on the newsclip was just a slip of the tongue.

I think I followed her genealogy to Lizzie, if it's Anna H. Borden. Didn't I?
If it's not recalled, I can look it up again, I guess.

Kat @ Mon Jan 15, 2007 3:08 am wrote:I think I followed her genealogy to Lizzie, if it's Anna H. Borden. Didn't I?
If it's not recalled, I can look it up again, I guess.

You may have provided it more than once, Kat -- but here's the thread I was referring to in my post.

http://www.lizzieandrewborden.com/Archi ... ealogy.htm

Just an aside -- Grace Hartley Howe is designated as Lizzie's cousin in Lizzie's will -- Grace's father was Dr. James Hartley of England. Do we know anything about that family relationship? Was Grace a 'closer' cousin than Anna genealogically, for example?

Great!
Now can you find where I posted the Hartley-Howe connection?

Gee it's nice to have you do my *work* for me.
While I put my feet up and rest....zzz

Not really! We are in the editing phase of the upcoming Hatchet!

Upcoming Hatchet??? OH Boy!!!!

Do we get notices when our subscriptions are up or do we just renew every year in January?

How does that work?

Kat, here's one Hartley-Howe thread where you've shown the connection.

http://www.lizzieandrewborden.com/Archi ... eyHowe.htm

I'm taking from that info that Grace and Lizzie had the closer family relationship. They were 2nd cousins because their grandfathers were brothers, whereas Anna and Lizzie were 3rd cousins because their great-grandfathers were brothers. Is that how it works?

Sounds good to me!
I don't know why people seemed to go out of their way to say they weren't related- especially in the Anna H. Borden connection..
Thank you for finding that Diana!

Bobbie- I believe subscription renewals are in January/February- so this will be first issue 2007.
Thanks for asking.
http://www.hatchetonline.com/HatchetOnline/index.htm

BTW: Don't you just love that picture of Spiering!

Is anyone thinking what I am thinking? When they do a news story usually they never use all the footage that they film. So is there anyway to get a look at what was edited out? Maybe it shows other rooms that are not shown in the news broadcast.

Shelly how do get to the third floor at Maplecroft? How many rooms are up there?

I have never been to the third floor of Maplecroft- there are storage areas, and I believe two bedrooms which would have housed domestic servants. I have seen the staircase going up there at the back of the house.

Mr. Dube allowed the filming, and signed a release- so I do not believe he would be annoyed at the Channel Six clip being aired. The segment on Mondolizzie came from a tape given to me by channel 6 back in August 1992, which explains why the quality is a little grainy. I have been in touch with the WLNE Channel Six Providence footage librarian, and he is looking to see if that August 1992 film is still available. Sometimes after cutting and splicing, the bits on the cutting room floor do not get saved. I hope to have an answer as to whether the out takes and raw footage still exist this week.

Okay, there is a back staircase to the third floor. I had wondered if there was and or if there was a staircase from the second floor to the third floor.

Remember the back bedroom over the rear porch was an addition and the transition from the main house going into it is very odd. Going down the hall from the library and Emma's room (left at the top of the stairs), one must go down some short stairs and then up into the addition. So there is an odd-shaped little transition space. There is a bathroom on the left, then the summer bedroom with the fireplace.

Doesn't that ensure extra privacy? Even w/o two doors?

Thanks for the link to see maplecroft stefani! It was so cool.

Thank you Stefani for posting that link. I have waited my entire life to catch a glimpse inside Maplecroft. many is the time i camped out in front of that house lost in my daydreams of what Miss. Lizbeth might have been like living there.