Ghosts of the SouthCoast

by Tim Weisberg

  The Quequechan Club in Fall River once catered to the city’s elite, but did it also have a seedy underbelly?

  The Quequechan Club, or Q-Club, was organized by a group of nine men on November 22, 1894, and featured some of the most respected and wealthiest members of Fall River Society. They purchased the mansion on North Main, known then as the William Mason Estate, as their clubhouse. The house itself had been built in 1861. After extensive renovations within the Mason mansion, the club purchased Dr. Hubert Wilbur’s adjacent property next door and opened it in 1920 as the Ladies’ Annex. A bowling alley was built in the basement of the main clubhouse and is still in use today, home to the longest-existing bowling league on the East Coast.

  Although extensive records were kept of members, not much is known about what actually went on at the club during its early days.

  Dan Silva was already a longtime club member when he purchased it with two other members in 1999. He’s since become the Quequechan’s sole owner, and although he had some unusual experiences while conducting his own renovations on the property, he never considered it haunted until a paranormal team uncovered some rather convincing evidence.

  Under Dan’s ownership, the club has retained its elegance while becoming much more affordable for the average blue-collar citizen of Fall River. He built a casual sports pub in the basement, yet it still offers fine dining (with a tie and jacket required) in the main dining room. An electrician by trade, Dan is a straightforward guy and runs his club in much the same manner. Yet even he started to question his beliefs when sitting at the bar with a friend who claimed to see a woman in a Victorian dress walk by. While Dan didn’t see it himself, his trust in his friend’s word and the pale expression on his face convinced Dan that his friend had truly seen something.

  When Eric LaVoie of DART approached him about possibly conducting a paranormal investigation there (Eric, like me, thinks activity can be found in historic buildings even if it hasn’t been reported or experienced), Dan agreed, and Eric began to interview the staff about their experiences there. The kitchen staff spoke of a bell usually used to summon servers to pick up their orders that would often ring when nobody was near it. This is the type of bell a school teacher might have on their desk, which requires the pushing of a button at the top to activate the hammer on the inside of the bell.

  Other activity was reported as well, and on a preliminary walk-through, Eric picked up other bits and pieces of activity before returning for a more thorough investigation a short time later. In addition to personal experiences and a few strange orbs of light, he captured EVPs with such claims as “call the doctor” (perhaps Dr. Wilbur from next door?), “stop it” and “get out of here.” He also asked if a spirit was present that it make a knocking sound. Two distinct knocks were heard, and that was enough to convince Dan to allow further investigation.

  Eric invited Spooky Southcoast, Luann Joly of Whaling City Ghosts, Andrew Lake of Greenville Paranormal Research and EVP researcher Mike Markowicz to join him in a subsequent investigation, which resulted in even more evidence. In addition to many more intriguing EVPs, we also got some solid evidence from a device known as a Shack Hack.

  In the 1990s, an engineer named Frank Sumption began messing around with radios he believed would help him communicate with extraterrestrials and beings of a higher realm. Sumption told me that he didn’t know why he built these devices, but he was compelled to do so. He later found out Thomas Edison had been working on a similar device that he called the Telephone to the Dead before he passed away. Although Frank mostly communicated with what he believes are alien beings, ghost researchers began using the device to talk to spirits.

  Known as Frank’s Boxes, the devices are essentially radios that sweep through all the frequencies without stopping on any particular one. The theory is that the spirit grabs whatever words are out there that it needs to express itself. The Shack Hack is a stripped-down version of a Frank’s Box, made by removing the “mute” circuit from a thirty-dollar Radio Shack portable AM/FM radio. By cutting that circuit and pressing “seek,” the radio will continue scanning through the frequencies without stopping when it receives a strong signal.

  At the Quequechan Club, we brought the Shack Hack up to the third floor, which Dan was in the process of renovating into either offices or small rooms for lodging. The design of the room made us think that perhaps, at some point, the upper floor of the club had been used to entertain its male membership while the women were next door at the Ladies’ Annex. The spirit that came through confirmed that suspicion, claiming to be Marie, a prostitute who was kept at the club for mobsters that came down from Providence.

  During the investigation, we tried a few different tactics to draw more responses out of Marie. First, we had Luann, who is sensitive to spirits, stay on the third floor alone and communicate with the spirit in a kind and understanding way. Through both EVP and the Shack Hack, Marie was very open with Luann and spoke of abuse suffered at the hands of the men who kept her there.

  Later, we shifted strategies and had Luann go downstairs while just the men remained on the third floor. We began speaking to Marie in a very direct and angry manner. We called her unmentionable names and told her she was worthless, to see if this approach would gather a stronger reaction from her. This is known as provoking the spirit, and while some consider it disrespectful, it can be very effective in getting paranormal activity to strengthen and become more overt.

  Marie, though, simply made one last stand and then refused to say much more.

  Cindy Bouchard, now the manager of the Wamsutta Club in New Bedford, worked in the same capacity at the Quequechan Club prior to Dan Silva taking ownership. She reported feeling a presence on that third floor, to the point where she would knock and announce herself before entering.

  She shared the following experience in an email:

  I worked at the Q-Club from 1988 to 1996. Here are several things that I remember that could be viewed as strange or paranormal. I always remember the feeling that I would get when I went upstairs to the back half of the third floor. It was used to hold extra dishes and a few supplies. We didn’t store much up there because no one would go up there. I actually would knock on the door and announce myself before going in. I always felt a presence there.

  We were closed on Saturdays and we had an outside catering job for a member’s daughter’s wedding. The entire staff was there and we loaded the trucks. I was the last one out and set the alarm. When we left the catering job to return to the club I was the first to arrive so that I could shut the alarm off. When I opened the door and turned on the light I saw a figure run up the stairs. I was startled and turned off the alarm. I walked over to the staircase and noticed an afghan lying on the stairs. I looked up but didn’t go. The chef came in with the staff behind him so I told him about it. He decided to go upstairs to check it out. He of course didn’t find anything. I folded the afghan and put it on the shelf in the ladies room. We cleaned up, put everything away and left. On Monday I returned and the afghan was gone.

  We served lunch from 11:30 to 2:00 PM everyday. We would hear pool balls dropping on the hard wood floors upstairs. It was always at lunchtime. We would check and there were no pool balls on the floor and no one was ever there.

  One Saturday I was at the club doing some work. The maintenance man was working outside doing some landscaping. We were the only ones there. He came into my office and said that he was done and was going upstairs to take a shower before he left. I told him not to lock up because I would be working for awhile. He said fine and left to go upstairs. A few minutes later he came into my office very upset and told me that he didn’t think that I was funny. I asked him what he was talking about. He said that when he got upstairs the shower was already on and there was shaving cream on the mirror that said “Get Out”. I tried to say that it wasn’t me but he wouldn’t listen and walked away. I went upstairs to check for myself and there was nothing there. No shaving cream and the shower wasn�
�t on. I decided to go home too.

  Research into the Q-Club has yet to determine who this Marie might have been, and if these claims of a third-floor bordello have any merit. The Quequechan Club of today, however, is a fine establishment of which this writer later became a card-carrying member.

  Oak Grove Cemetery

  Earlier in this book, we mentioned that most cemeteries don’t get much attention from seasoned paranormal investigators. Oak Grove Cemetery in Fall River is one of the rare exceptions.

  Oak Grove is the final resting spot of the Borden family and is a frequent stop for those who visit Fall River to investigate the murder case. A tall stone pillar marks the graves of Lizzie’s father, Andrew Borden, his first wife (and Lizzie’s mother), Sarah, and second wife, Abby. Lizzie, meanwhile, lay under a small, simple stone that reads “Lizbeth,” with none of the pomp or ornate style she became accustomed to later in her life.

  Since Andrew and Abby were first interred at Oak Grove, there have been constant claims about their spirits lurking about the cemetery. Many people who visit the graves report getting sick to their stomachs and are overwhelmed with feelings of dread and paranoia. There are also reports of strange lights flitting about, and even screams that come from beneath that great stone pillar.

  In 1992, during the centennial observance of the crime, forensic scientist James E. Starrs wanted to exhume Andrew and Abby to further examine their wounds and cause of death. His request was denied, and the bodies of Andrew and Abby remain six feet below the surface of Oak Grove Cemetery.

  The question is—where are their souls?

  THE LIZZIE BORDEN BED & BREAKFAST: THE SOUTHCOAST’S MOST FAMOUS HAUNT

  We’ve already established that you can’t separate Fall River from the tragedy of the Borden murders, when someone brutally murdered banker and merchant Andrew Borden and his second wife, Abby Durfee Gray Borden, with a hatchet on the morning of August 4, 1892. Even now, 118 years later (as of this writing), the stain on the city is just as fresh as it was then.

  Let us start this discussion by stating that, for the record, Lizzie Borden was acquitted by a jury of her peers for the murders on June 20, 1893. As far as the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is concerned, there was reasonable doubt that Lizzie committed this heinous crime. Do I think she did it? Well, I often waver in that. I think she certainly had the motive—even beyond what we’ll discuss later in this chapter.

  The Lizzie Borden Bed & Breakfast in Fall River is the SouthCoast’s most haunted house.

  Lizzie Borden was a thirty-two-year-old spinster still living at home at the time of the murders. She longed for the life that her father’s wealth could afford her family, yet in his miserly ways he chose not to provide. She loathed her stepmother, Abby, and was jealous of anything her father would give to her, whom Lizzie and older sister Emma viewed as an outsider even after more than a decade of living with her.

  Andrew Borden was a hard man, one who viewed money and the accumulation of it above all else. His home at 92 Second Street was far more modest than it needed to be. Andrew could be living on the Hill with the rest of the Bordens and Fall River’s upper class, but instead he chose to remain “down below.” He would not have indoor plumbing installed in his home, forcing his family to use chamber pots and an outhouse, like common peasants. He would often purchase nearly expired food in order to save a few pennies, and indeed, breakfast on the morning of his death included rancid mutton stew.

  Lizzie Andrew Borden—spinster, socialite, accused murderer and ghost? Courtesy of Stefani Koorey.

  Abby, from all accounts, did the best she could with the family she married into. While not particularly loving, she wasn’t exactly abusive either. But as is often the case with children who lose a parent to an untimely death, the “steppie” could never replace the parent lost.

  The Borden House in 1892. Courtesy of Stefani Koorey.

  Increasing arguments over money and one piece of property in particular is believed to be at the root of the tension that existed in the Borden household on that warm August morning.

  Since this book is about the ghosts and not about solving what was the crime of the nineteenth century, we’ll leave it at that. In order to give the reader a more accurate view of what went down in the Borden house on that particular day, I’ve included a modified timeline from the Tattered Fabric blog of Borden expert Faye Musselman (phayemuss.wordpress.com) that is an excellent Lizzie Borden resource. In addition, Musselman has acquired some interesting documents that breathe new life into the Borden case, which she shared publicly for the first time on the July 31, 2010 edition of Spooky Southcoast and which we will recount later in this chapter.

  Timeline of the Borden Murders

  August 3, 1892

  The day before the murders

  8:00 a.m.

  Abby goes across street to Dr. Seabury Bowen; tells him she fears she’s been poisoned.

  About 9:00

  Dr. Bowen crosses street to check on the Bordens; Lizzie dashes upstairs; Andrew rebuffs his unsolicited visit.

  10:00 to 11:30

  Lizzie attempts to buy prussic acid from Eli Bence at Smith’s Pharmacy on Columbia Street.

  1:30 p.m.

  John Morse, uncle to Lizzie and brother of Andrew’s first wife, Sarah, walks from the train station and arrives at the Borden house; Abby lets him in front door.

  2:00 to 4:00

  Morse and Andrew talk in sitting room; Lizzie hears the conversation. There is speculation that Andrew is discussing with Morse a land transfer deal. The rumor is that Andrew is going to give a piece of property that Lizzie and Emma desire to Abby, and the transfer will happen soon. Morse then leaves on a trip to nearby Swansea.

  7:00

  Lizzie visits Alice Russell in the early evening, stating her fear “something will happen” to her father.

  8:45

  Morse returns from Swansea, talks in sitting room with Andrew and Abby.

  9:00

  Lizzie returns from Alice Russell’s, locks front door and goes upstairs to her room without speaking to father or uncle.

  9:15

  Abby Borden retires to bed.

  10:00

  Andrew and Morse retire to bed.

  August 4, 1892

  The day of the murders (Note: Times given are based on various testimonies taken primarily from the Preliminary Hearing held August 25 to September 1, 1892, and are approximated as close as possible).

  6:15 a.m.

  Maid Bridget Sullivan goes downstairs, gets coal and wood in cellar to start a fire in the kitchen stove and takes in milk.

  6:20

  Morse goes downstairs to the sitting room.

  6:30

  Abby comes downstairs and gives orders for breakfast to Bridget

  6:40 to 6:50

  Andrew goes downstairs, empties slops, picks up pears and goes to the barn.

  6:45

  Bridget opens side (back) door for the iceman.

  7:00

  The Bordens and Morse have breakfast in dining room. Lizzie is still upstairs.

  7:45 to 8:45

  Morse and Andrew talk in sitting room; Abby sits with them a short while before she begins to dust.

  8:45

  Andrew lets Morse out the side door and invites him back for dinner.

  8:45 to 8:50

  Lizzie comes down and enters kitchen.

  8:45 to 9:00

  Abby tells Bridget to wash windows, inside and out.

  Bridget goes outside to vomit.

  Andrew leaves the house.

  Bridget returns; she does not see Lizzie or Andrew but sees Abby dusting in dining room.

  9:00

  Abby goes up to guest room.

  9:00 to 9:30

  Bridget cleans away breakfast dishes in kitchen.

  Bridget gets brush from cellar to wash the windows Lizzie appears at back door as Bridget goes towards barn; Bridget tells Lizzie she does not need to lock the door.

  9
:15 to 9:45

  Morse arrives at 4 Weybosset Street to visit his niece and nephew.

  9:30

  Abraham G. Hart, treasurer of Union Savings Bank, talks to Andrew at the bank.

  9:30 to 10:00

  Abby Borden dies from blows to the head with a sharp instrument.

  9:30 to 10:05

  Andrew visits banks.

  9:45

  John P. Burrill, cashier, talks to Andrew at National Union Bank.

  9:50 to 10:00

  Andrew deposits Troy Mill check with Everett Cook at First National Bank; talks with William Carr.

  9:30 to 10:20

  Bridget washes outside windows, stops to talk to “Kelly girl” at the south fence.

  10:00 to 10:30

  Mrs. Churchill sees Bridget outside washing northeast windows.

  10:20

  Bridget reenters house from the side door, commences to wash inside windows.

  10:30 to 10:40

  Mrs. Kelly observes Andrew going to his front door.

  Andrew Borden can’t get in the side door and fumbles with key at front door; he is let in by Bridget.