The property has long been rumored to be one of the most haunted houses in America
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NEED TO KNOW
- Lizzie Borden was acquitted after being accused of killing her father and stepmother with a hatchet in their shared Fall River, Mass., home in the 1890s
- The Bordens’ former home, now a bed and breakfast, is known for its eerie history and alleged hauntings
- The property, purchased by U.S. Ghost Adventures in 2021, offers tours and overnight stays starting at around $200 per night
More than a century after Lizzie Borden was accused of murder, her house is still fearsome.
Lizzie was famously accused of killing her father and stepmother with a hatchet in their shared Fall River, Mass., home, inspiring the rhyme, “Lizzie Borden took an ax / And gave her mother forty whacks / When she saw what she had done / She gave her father forty-one.”
Lizzie, the subject of Netflix’s Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story (which premiered on Sept. 17), was acquitted of the charges against her, but many believe that she, her victims and others may still haunt the property.
Here, find out what happened to Lizzie Borden’s house after the murders.
Where is the Lizzie Borden House?
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The Lizzie Borden House is located at 230 2nd St. in Fall River, Mass., about two hours south of Boston.
Andrew Borden bought the property, which then had the address 92 Second St., in 1872 and converted it from two apartments into one home for his family.
The six-bedroom house, built in 1845 according to Rhode Island Monthly, has three floors and a barn and was within walking distance of the center of town.
What happened in the Lizzie Borden House?
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Lizzie was accused of murdering her father, Andrew Borden, and her stepmother, Abby Borden, with a hatchet in August 1892. Abby and Andrew both suffered multiple blows to their heads, per PBS.
Lizzie and the housemaid, Bridget, were the only people known to be at the home at the time of Abby and Andrew’s slayings, but Lizzie told police she didn’t see or hear anything suspicious.
Days after the murders, Lizzie was arrested. In 1893, she was tried and acquitted.
Where in the house were Abby and Andrew killed?
Abby was killed first in an upstairs guest room that she was cleaning.
About 90 minutes later, the killer murdered Andrew in the parlor, where he was seemingly napping on a couch.
What happened to the Lizzie Borden House after the murders?
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While the first non-Borden owners of the home post-slayings aren’t publicly known, there are records of a couple purchasing the home in 1948, according to the Baltimore Sun.
That couple’s granddaughter, Martha McGinn, inherited the property, which has operated as a tourist attraction and bed and breakfast since 1996.
In 2004, Lee-Ann Wilbers and Donald Woods purchased the property and opened it for 90-minute tours.
In 2021, U.S. Ghost Adventures purchased the Lizzie Borden House.
Who lives in the Lizzie Borden House now?
No one currently lives in the Lizzie Borden House full-time, save for a caretaker in the barn, but guests can pay to stay at the house as it operates as a bed and breakfast.
How much does it cost to spend the night in the Lizzie Borden House?
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Prices for one night in the Lizzie Borden House vary depending on the number of the guests and when you plan on staying.
Rates start around $200 per night for a single guest. Breakfast is an additional $20 per person per day.
Do guests say the Lizzie Borden House is haunted?
Guests and staff have reported hauntings in every room of the Lizzie Borden House, including seeing apparitions and shadows, objects moving with no one touching them, faces appearing in photographs, people being touched when they were alone and more.
Based on guest stories, it appears the most spooky occurrences have happened in the rooms on the third floor, which are the Andrew Jennings Room, Bridget Sullivan Room and Hosea Knowlton Room.
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