
I can be reached thru email: phaye@npgcable.com
Live life liberated! Better to be direct and honest than false and phoney. Image and reputation are transient perceptions of what other people think, not what they know.
Hello, my name is Faye Musselman and I live in the Arizona high desert of Payson, by way of Portland, Oregon, by way of Long Beach, California by way of Honolulu, Hawaii, where I was born.
If you’ve stumbled across this blog, I hope you will enjoy in the musings, images, and perspectives as much as I enjoy sharing them. As a writer, scholar and collector of the infamous Lizzie Borden case of Fall River, MA (1892), I have spent over 40 years collecting rare books, journals, letters, photographs and memorabilia on this most compelling case. I like to say: “Some people play golf – I do Lizzie.”

Right click to view full image
My first read on the case was Victoria Lincoln’s A Private Disgrace, and my first visit inside 92 Second Street (when it was numbered 230) was in 1978. For the next 15 years, I traveled to Fall River doing research and meeting with long time residents. In 1992, I was a presenter at the Lizzie Borden Centennial Conference in Fall River. Since 1998, I have stayed at the Lizzie Borden Bed & Breakfast two to three times a year, often serving as tour guide and night manager.
I’ve lectured at University campuses, women’s groups, genealogical societies, civic clubs and fraternal organizations, and libraries conducting multi-media presentations on Lizzie Borden and Fall River’s history in California, Oregon, Arizona and Massachusetts.
I am the creator of the Lizzie Borden board game: “Journey to Maplecroft” and have produced several research and reference materials in both print and CD formats, some of which are available at the Lizzie Borden Bed & Breakfast.
Since images get all over the internet anyway – go ahead and snatch mine if you like. But if you include it in a story, blog, Twitter, whatever, just state where you got it. Thanks.
August 1, 2007 at 2:29 pm
I really like the funnies and sports sections. I also enjoy the opp-ed articles.
August 3, 2007 at 2:39 pm
Loving the new Lizzie blog. Thanks for posting and sharing your love of Lizzie
October 4, 2007 at 9:31 am
I am the great grand niece of Andrew Jennings. He was my father’s great uncle. I am sorry to contradict you, but Marion was Andrew’s daughter, not his wife. His wife was Olive (Chace) Jennings. Take care, Jean
October 4, 2007 at 1:22 pm
Thank you for the correction! I will change that entry right away. I knew that because it was she that had the “hip bath” collection. Mea culpa. Please email me so we can communicate further. phaye@npgcable.com
October 10, 2007 at 7:49 am
Stumbled across your delightful blog. Did you know there was a city-wide (Fall River) symposium on Lizzie years before the one at BCC.
I scripted a “Lizzie Tour” for it. Nice Posters,
sweat shirt, other junk. You might find my Borden Family tree/chart in Spinner II (republished in the LBQ) interesting. Be sure to check out Stephen Ronan’s “Our Lady of Fall River,” a gothic gem of a poem. He resides in Berkeley, CA, and occassionally presents it online. Keep up the great work. You have a MARVELOUS sense of humor.
October 10, 2007 at 1:29 pm
Hey “Phaye” did you know you were the 7th most popular link on the CLEWS website? That’s how I found this place and glad I did. Your javaleena play was a riot!!
November 7, 2007 at 7:15 pm
Hello. Thanks for the link to our Villisca Axe Murders Blog. I have added your blog to a “Lizzie Borden Blogs” list and published it on our blog. We have a story coming up on a connection between the 1912 Villisca axe murders and the 1892 Borden murders. Can you guess who it is? Thanks again.
November 8, 2007 at 6:07 am
Of course: John Vinnicum Morse.
November 17, 2007 at 8:13 am
I saw where you said that the Lizzie Borden TV movie could be downloaded, but I could not find it. Any additional help would be appreciated. Thanks!
November 18, 2007 at 5:24 pm
I’ve been told it was taken down from the link.
December 1, 2007 at 2:06 am
I think what is almost always forgotten in cases like this is the sociopathic factor. We tend to think that Lizzie suffered from taking the action she did because we would suffer if we took such an action. But she was really an empty copy of what most folks are. She suffered because she was ostracized by her community, not from her actions. She felt pain because she felt herself the victim.
It always causes me a smirk when I watch Court TV and see a relative of a victim address a killer (i.e., Polly Klass’ father, for example) and say something like “…and I hope you spend every day suffering from the thought of what you did to my daughter…”. No. That is the one image that murderer uses every to feel pleasure in life. The thought of what he did to that poor little girl sustain him. He is a sociopath. His DNA left out the gene for conscious. He suffers only for himself.
This was Lizzie Borden. She was not connected to life from the beginning. The poem, “Maplecroft”, was her poetic justification for her actions, much the same way a modern day sociopath will derive inspiration from a movie or a song on the radio or a sociopathic religious fanatic will act based on his interpretation of the holy teachings.
There will always be wars because there always will be sociopaths. Ain’t life grand?
December 12, 2007 at 12:52 pm
Thank you so much for creating such a fascinating website. I am from Minneapolis, and my mother lives in Connecticut; we just visited the Borden house last week when I was visiting. It was something I’ve wanted to do for such a long time, so I’m really glad I got to see it. Next time maybe I’ll have the guts to stay there!
Keep up the good work!
December 13, 2007 at 9:07 am
After reading through a bit of your blog, I feel like you are a very good person to ask this:
I have a book on Lizzie that I KNOW is very rare and I have it on Ebay right now….
Do you have any idea how many copies were punlished? It is published by Al-Zach Press and I have all the pertinent info on the listing here:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&Item=190181617949
Any input would be appreciated!
Vicki
RaVena Relics
December 13, 2007 at 12:42 pm
Hi Vicki – I think he had about 900 copies printed. He published it himself rather than have an established publishing company take 56%. Mr. Rebello has repeatedly stated he will be publishing it in paperback at some time. But this first edition is a “must have” collectible, that’s for sure. I have several in my collection and have sold several. Good luck on your eBay sale.
January 18, 2008 at 9:02 pm
I just stumbled upon this by accident looking for something other. I am over the moon with excitement about this blog. I live in Fall River and have heard all the stories from my grandmother who was born in 1896. What really got me most excited was info on Louis Howe and have been looking for his headstone for many months with no success. Brilliant, brilliant and thanks so much for caring to write about this.
Lorrie (Rock) Mello
March 8, 2008 at 11:23 am
May 29, 2008 at 8:40 pm
Hi, I really like your site. I have always been fascinated by the Lizzie Borden mystery, and you have so much great info. I just ordered the book-Did Lizzie Borden axe for it? I can’t wait to read it, thanks.
May 29, 2008 at 11:27 pm
So glad you enjoy my blog. I checked out yours and it is very well done. You would be interested in my historic timeline I’m sure. I’ll send you snippets from it.
July 27, 2008 at 1:04 pm
I would just like to say, that I love your website. I am using it for my research paper I am currently writing, (this is my second research paper I am doing about Lizzie).
I’m glad other people share an interest in this besides me, as many times – I get told to find a better hobby.
The reason why I am into the subject so much is because of my writing teacher my first semester of college. She is an absoulte pro about the subject, I will have to send her a link to your blog.
Thank you!
September 18, 2008 at 10:16 am
I understand Andrew’s street coat was in a ball under his head. An author I read believes as a miserly and traditional victorian he would ALWAYS hang up his coat immediately upon entering the house. So the suggestion is that this was what Lizzie covered her own clothing with to keep from being blood splattered, then removed it, balled it up and thrust it under him. Comment?
September 18, 2008 at 12:51 pm
You can read my own theory about that coat at this blog entry here
http://phayemuss.wordpress.com/2008/02/26/andrew-borden-and-the-missing-prince-albert/
I believe the author you are referring to is Victoria Lincoln. I was privledged to read some of her personal journals and I think she was correct in her own assumptions.
Like socks in the dryer, that coat disappeared. I believe he was buried in it.
January 8, 2009 at 9:05 pm
wow i well find her story to be a realy neet one and well for eyears i have always injoyed reding abt her as well and well not to long a go i found that well lizzy and me well have some of the same genelogy in are familys you see my family also came from the same bowen family tree line lizzys dad’s dads mother was a bowen and well from looking at the genealogy stuff here to nightshe just may be (lizzy’s g-grand mother )a sister to my gggggg-grand pa or some thing like that i’m haveing to well do some more work on it but so farr i counted up from me 8 gens but olny 6 from my g-grand pa. and well i just find that to be realy neet. and well i dont think lizzy did it i think it had to have been a guy who did it as to what guy? may be it was the 1/2 bother i for got as to well who he was but i know there had been a bother as to well who he was ? i dont know if he was well a bother to lizzy or for that who his mother was but well i know he falls in there some wheres.
February 28, 2009 at 12:11 pm
I love your site!
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October 23, 2009 at 5:29 am
I read this post and brought back some really bad memories of high school. ,