Famous Mansion Programs at the Library Story & photos: Charlie Kiesel
Famous Mansions and Historic Buildings – Two famous buildings located in Southern Indiana and Two located in Fall River, Massachusetts, will be included in the program, as well as photos of the Biltmore in Ashville, North Carolina. The West Baden Springs Hotel in French Lick, Indiana, has had a long and interesting history. It in the past, it has been a Jesuit Seminary and Larry Bird once held basketball clinics and had basketball games played in the atrium of the hotel. I have a brief history of the hotel to share along with my personal photos of the West Baden Hotel and of the French Lick Springs Hotel. A few photos of the Jamies Lanier Mansion will be included in the February Program at the Princeton Public Library. The Lanier Mansion was built by James Lanier, a banker who loaned money to the State of Indiana during the Civil War. The elaborate mansion can be toured. It faces the Ohio River in Madison, Indiana. Standing at the front door one can view a beautiful scene of an extensive flower garden between the mansion and the river. Madison is also famous for its Broadway Fountain designed by the same artist who created the famous fountain in Savannah, Georgia, located in Forsythe Park. The Broadway Fountain and the Forsythe Park Fountain are identical except for the placement of a few of the attributes of the fountains. Another photo tour will include two famous and historic buildings in Fall River, Massachusetts. Both buildings have a connection to Lizzie Borden who was accused of the hatchet murder of her stepmother and her father. Lizzie Borden was acquitted of the horrible murders in the family home in Fall River. The hatchet murders took place in 1892, and the following trial of Lizzie Borden gathered worldwide attention. The murders were vicious with each of the victims receiving more than ten blows to the head with a hatchet. That building is now a Bed & Breakfast Hotel where people can spend the night. One room most people are interested in staying the night in is the room where Abby Borden was murdered.
The West Baden Springs Hotel in French Lick, Indiana. Photo by Charles Kiesel
I will also share my photos of the Maplecroft mansion where Lizzie Borden lived after her acquittal. It recently sold for $700,000 after being refurbished and redecorated. It has seven bedrooms and four baths and nearly 4,000 sq. feet of living space. It also has several fireplaces. It had two main/master bedrooms, a winter bedroom and a summer bedroom. I’ll explain that during the programs. My wife, Janice Atkinson Kiesel, and I spent nearly four years reviewing the Borden Murder Case. Numerous books were written about the case and many theories advanced as to who the murderer may have been. We consulted many of those books. We also visited Fall River, Massachusetts, several times and consulted with the acknowledged experts on the case at the Fall River History Society and Museum in Fall River. Our research and own theories as to who may have committed the Borden murders were presented at the Willard Library in Evansville, with 110 people attending that program. That same program was presented during Oakland City University Criminal Justice Day Program. Two hundred high school students attended that presentation. During my program in February 2024, I will share the results of our research. Ashville, North Carolina, has the Biltmore Estate is the largest privately owned house in the nation. It has four acres of floor space. I have several photos of the Biltmore and the surrounding gardens and landscape to share during my program.
Program Dates and Times
Wednesdays - February 7th & 21st at 10:00 am February 14th & 28th at 6:00 pm
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February 2024
Small Town Living