March 1, 2012
Lizzie Borden—The Eternal Fascination at the Main Library
Join armchair detective/crime historian J.T. Townsend, a Wyoming resident, as he exhumes an infamous legend: Lizzie Borden, the lady with the axe. This spellbinding program will explore the relics and sift the evidence, as the author of Queen City Gothic exposes the myths and spins a devastating conclusion to this most notorious chapter in American criminal history. Sponsored by the Friends of the Public Library, the program will take place on Saturday, March 24, at 10:00 a.m., in the Reading Garden Lounge of the Main Library (800 Vine Street).
ABOUT J.T. TOWNSEND
J. T. Townsend, author of Queen City Gothic: Cincinnati’s Most Infamous Murder Mysteries, is a freelance writer and lifelong resident of Cincinnati. He is the former true crime historian for Snitch Magazine, and his work has appeared in The Cincinnati Enquirer, Cincinnati Magazine, Word Magazine, and Clews. In addition, he appeared in the 2008 British Documentary “Conversations With a Serial Killer.”
Library Resources for Armchair Detectives
The murder cases featured in Queen City Gothic were front-page news stories in their day. Using the Library’s newspaper microfilm collection, J.T. Townsend uncovered details about the murders straight from the headlines of their time. He kept a scrapbook of this research and used the details to paint readers a picture of each crime scene and the murder’s effect on the Cincinnati community.
The Information & Reference Department at the Main Library houses many of Cincinnati’s newspapers dating back to the 19th century in its newspaper microfilm collection. In addition to local newspapers, it also contains complete coverage of the New York Times and the London Times, as well as microfilm copies of African American newspapers published in various cities from the late 1800s to the end of the 1900s.
More resources online! ProQuest Historical Newspapers, an electronic resource, offers full-text and full-image articles for the complete backfile (1851–2008) of the New York Times. Digital reproductions include news stories, editorials, photographs, graphics, obituaries, legal notices, and advertisements. Free access to ProQuest Historical Newspapers is available 24/7 at All you need is a library card and PIN. Library cards are free for all residents of Ohio as well as residents of Boone, Campbell, and Kenton Counties in Kentucky with a valid library card from their local library. Visit any Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County location to get your library card today!