- Sarah Tucker
The Lizzie Borden Scotty
Perhaps the best part of teardrop gatherings is the friendships that are built. This past August, I traveled to Indiana for the Crossroads of America gathering held every other year. CRA is a by-product of the Tearjerkers organization and is able to pull teardrop and tiny camper fans from all over the country. It was my first huge gathering and even though it was hotter-than-blue-blazes, I really did have the time of my life!
The week before the gathering I received a tip from someone about a site that had just opened up in the main loop which would allow me to be closer to the action and easier to walk around and see trailers/meet folks. The awesome camper with the tip turned out to be Kenny T. (aka Mac Murphy) from the Liberty Bell chapter of the Tearjerkers. Kenny is the proud owner of a 1962 13’ Serro Scotty.
I made a point to visit his trailer because he told me his trailer had a story unlike any other. He didn’t disappoint! In his own words here is the story of the Scotty named Lizzie Borden.
“I purchased her in the summer of 2014 from the original owner’s grandson. His grandfather passed in 1988 and gave it to his two sons. The grandson said his uncle was in the camper one day in the midst of a “disagreement” with his ex-wife. I don't know if she was still the wife or already the ex when this particular incident happened. She wanted him to come out of the camper but he wouldn't come out. She then proceeded to pick up an axe and struck the door with it…not once but TWICE!“
Kenny made the purchase and towed his new-found treasure home. In the years since he bought it, Kenny had had it professionally rebuilt. However, he instructed the carpenter to keep axe marks if at all possible. The marks have been waterproofed and still grace the front of the Scotty door. Kenny gets lots of comments on the door and has had a lot of fun with the story. In fact, he had a Lizzie Borden t-shirt made just for CRA.
Who is Lizzie Borden, you ask? According to biography.com she is best known for her arrest and trial for the 1892 axe murders of her father and stepmother. Born on July 19, 1860, in Fall River, Massachusetts, Lizzie Borden and her sister, Emma, lived with their father, Andrew Borden, and stepmother, Abby (Durfee Gray) Borden, into adulthood. On August 4, 1892, Andrew and Abby Borden were found murdered in their home. Lizzie was arrested and tried for the axe murders. She was acquitted in 1893 and continued to live in Fall River until her death, on June 1, 1927. The case was never solved. Read the full story here.
Several weeks ago, I joined a group of Tin Can Tourists in Eureka Springs, AR for a vintage camper gathering.
What a surprise it was to find out that Kenny T. and his beloved Scotty had moved back to Arkansas from out East. It was great to reconnect and to see the Lizzie Borden again. Kenny doesn’t know a stranger and is one of the nicest guys you will ever meet. He has resurrected the Arkansas chapter of the Tearjerkers and would love any teardrop/tiny camper owners in that area to contact his regarding events for 2018! Shoot him an email today!
