FALL RIVER — If only the floral-papered walls could tell tales at Lizzie Borden’s Maplecroft – now open for vacation rentals.

They’d not only tattle secrets held by the city’s most infamous woman, but like any house, there were other families, and there are other stories.

Believe it or not, a Capuchin monkey lived in Borden’s French Street mansion for some years. Then, there was the older gentleman who was waked in Lizzie’s front parlor – just 26 years after she lay dead for viewing in the very same room.

A few of those stories were shared over coffee in delicate china cups in Borden’s beloved home Wednesday morning during a private tour for invited guests.

“Like most homes, we lived in the kitchen,” said Frank Silvia, who moved into the Maplecroft house with his family when he was 9 years old.

The Silvias owned the house from the 1940s to the 1970s – the same family that is the namesake of the Frank M. Silvia Elementary School.

Frank Silvia – joined by wife Suzi Silvia and his cousin Philip T. Silvia, Fall River historian and author of “Victorian Vistas” (in three volumes) – took a look around the house where he had many memories of an interesting and happy childhood.

“It was just a fun home to grow up in,” Frank Silvia said.

He recalled children chanting the “Lizzie Borden took an axe” rhyme to him when he walked to Westall School.

Frank Silvia also remembered his family picking up a special gift at Boston Logan International Airport, a Capuchin monkey from Florida. The monkey, called Rab, lived in a cage in the kitchen when he wasn’t out causing mischief.

Frank Silvia said Rab once got loose outside and stopped a vehicle in the middle of the street. In that vehicle were his dad, attorney Frank Silvia, and Bishop James Connolly. The monkey had also been spotted riding the family’s Cocker Spaniel.

Frank Silvia and his cousin used to bounce a ball against the front steps that bear the “Maplecroft” engraving.

“He’d always beat me,” Phillip T. Silvia said.

In a room upstairs, the boys’ grandfather, Thomas F. Burke, lived for a time when he was sick.

The room is also thought to have been Borden’s bedroom when she was ill. It is believed that she moved from her regular room to this particular bedroom at the end of the hall for a number of reasons.

“It’s much cooler back here,” Sue Vickery told the guests as she stood in the bedroom. “It’s a shorter walk downstairs.” She pointed to a buzzer behind the door that she said could have been used when Borden needed service to her room.

“It’s a beautiful room, isn’t it?,” Vickery said.

Burke passed away in the room in 1953, according to Silvia, and his body, like Lizzie’s, was moved to the front parlor for the wake.

Vickery – a regular tour guide at the Lizzie Borden Bed & Breakfast on Second Street, where the hatchet murders of Lizzie’s father and step-mother Andrew and Abby Borden occurred on Aug. 4, 1892 – said it was fun to give a tour at Maplecroft, where Borden resided after her acquittal and until her death in 1927.

“This is completely different,” Vickery said. “I love taking people through this house. It’s a great story to tell.”

The story hasn’t been told to many visitors since Donald Woods and Lee-ann Wilber – owners of the Lizzie Borden Bed & Breakfast – purchased Maplecroft in February 2018.

They’ve been unable to open to the public for daily tours and as a bed & breakfast as they had planned.

They are currently seeking state relief from having to comply with certain building codes that would damage some of the home’s historical assets.

Ryan Woods, Maplecroft general manager, said they are “waiting for the state’s interpretation of the code.”

Donald Woods said the city asked him to install an elevator and make other changes to the luxurious 14-room home built in 1889 to bring it into compliance with Americans With Disabilities Act accessibility.

He said that would destroy parts of the house such as Borden’s bathroom, which still has its original fixtures. The house has many other Victorian details enjoyed by Borden, too, including the wallpaper in the dining room, woodwork, fireplaces, tin ceiling in the kitchen and more.

The matter has been before the state since the fall of 2018.

Mayor Jasiel Correia II, who was one of the invited guests to Maplecroft Wednesday morning, said he supports the opening of Maplecroft.

Correia said the state and city must find a way to open while keeping with “safety and compliance with the law” and making it “accessible for all.”

Ryan Woods said he is working with a contractor to erect a permanent handicapped-accessible ramp at the rear of the house.

Meanwhile, Maplecroft has allowed select visitors inside by invitation for tours and ghost hunting nights.

It is also now operating as a vacation rental destination by private owner. The house can be rented for roughly $800 per night. The rental includes four bedrooms, two  full and one-half bathrooms and a dining room with seating for eight.

The house is also available for private dinners and parties.

More information is available by contacting Suzanne St. John at Century 21 Signature Properties, 980 Reed Road Unit B, Dartmouth, at 401-302-4404 or by visiting visit vrbo.com/1640924

Email Deborah Allard at dallard@heraldnews.com.