Читать книгу Lizzie Didn't Do It; Emma Did! - E. Elaine Watson - Страница 5

The Borden house was located at 92 Second Street, Fall River, Massachusetts. It was a two and a half story house with a grape arbor and a barn in the backyard. The barn had space for a carriage, a sleigh, horse stables, and a hay loft.

The property was surrounded by a picket fence and in back of the barn, on the other side of the fence was a pear orchard. The fence along the back side of the property contained barbed wire. There was a well near the barn that was not used. Neighbors included Adelaide Churchill, a widow who lived on the north side of the Bordens at 90 Second Street, and the Kelly family who lived on the south side.

Directly across the street from the Churchills was the home of Dr. and Mrs. Seabury Bowen, the Borden’s family physician. Another close family friend, Alice Russell, lived down the street and around the corner to the north.

There were three ways to enter the Borden home. The front door of the house led into the front entry, a side door led into the kitchen, and an outside entry at the back of the house led down into the basement. The floor plan of the house was rather strange when compared to other houses. There were no hallways. One had to go into and out of a room to get into the next room.

The first floor consisted of an entry way, a parlor to the immediate left that was hardly ever used, a dining room off the parlor, a sitting room to the right of the dining room, a kitchen beyond the sitting room, and a pantry and sink room at the back entryway. A stairway to the second floor was also in this side entryway. The stairs in the front entry also led to the second floor. At the top was a landing with a large closet, and one could see straight ahead into the guest room from this landing.

Emma had a small bedroom just beyond the guest room, and next to her room was the larger bedroom of Lizzie. Toward the back of the house were Mrs. Borden’s dressing room, the master bedroom, the back stairway and the landing. Bridget’s room was in the attic at the back of the house. There was an unfinished bedroom also in the attic and a large area for storage. The one toilet facility in the house was located in the basement next to the coal bins. Also in the basement were a laundry room, a fruit cellar, a furnace, and two wood rooms. The doors to the Borden house were kept locked at all times.