Lizzie Borden: The Fall River Tragedy
“Lizzie Borden took an axe, gave her mother forty whacks. When she saw what she had done, she gave her father forty-one.”
Today, we decided to tour the Lizzie Borden house, located in Fall River, Massachusetts. The house is supposedly haunted, and thus, has attracted local ghost hunters, as well as media coverage on popular shows such as “Ghost Adventures.” In addition, numerous movies and specials chronicling the case have filmed.
Does Lizzie haunt the house?
Before the tour, the tour guide passed around a photo that a young girl had taken of one of the house’s windows. The ghost of Lizzie Borden seems to be standing looking out Andrew Borden’s bedroom window. Here is a picture of the window where the ghost was supposedly seen. Make sure to take a picture during your visit to see if the ghost shows up for you!
Interestingly enough, I felt freezing cold standing by this window during the tour. What is crazy is that the air conditioning was not on and the outside temps soared into the mid 90’s! A super cold presence randomly could possibly indicate a ghostly presence (according to experts) so who knows if Lizzie or some other supernatural presence was lurking about!
History of the Lizzie Borden case
For those of you who don’t know the background of the Lizzie Borden case, here is a short synopsis:
On August 4, 1892, Mr. and Mrs. Borden were found mangled in their house. Andrew Borden was found on the couch with 10 or 11 whacks to his head, performed with a hatchet. Here is a picture of what Andrew Borden’s head looked like after the whacks. Shockingly, his eye socket was even split in half! Wow, how gruesome!
Bridget Sullivan, the Borden’s maid, found mother Abby Borden in the guest bedroom with 19 blows to her head. Although the popular rhyme above states that Lizzie gave 40 whacks, sources speculate the rhyme was made up to sell newspapers.
Thirty two year old daughter Lizzie Borden was initially charged with double homicide. However, she was acquitted of the crimes after a 13 day trial. To this day the mystery of who killed the Bordens still lives on.
A photo tour of each room in the Lizzie Borden house tour…
The living room is where Lizzie found out that she was a suspect.
The dining room was the site of the autopsies.
The guest room was where Abby Borden was found
In the photo below, the tour guide replicates the position Abby Borden was found lying on the floor in the guest room.
Andrew Borden was found dead on the couch in this room.
A picture of the hatchet used in the murders. You can also take a magnifying glass to get a better look at the Andrew Borden murder photo.
Lizzie’s original bedroom. She switched with her sister because she said she didn’t have enough room to hang her belongings.
This is Lizzie’s bedroom (originally her sisters).
Interesting facts:
*The Lizzie Borden Museum and Bed and Breakfast opened on August 4, 1996, almost 105 years later! Although none of the original furnishings remain in the house, every effort has been made to replicate the original appearance of the Borden’s home.
*Elizabeth Montgomery played Lizzie Borden in “The Legend of Lizzie Borden.” After the movie, she found out that she was Lizzie’s distant cousin! Elizabeth wore the dress pictured below in the movie.
*The Ouija Board located in the corner of the room was supposedly stolen and returned 2 years later with an odd message that said “Make it Stop.”
*The Borden house was originally a 2 family residence. Mr. Borden transformed it into a single family residence.
*Mr. Borden only had access to his bedroom through the backstairs because the door to access his door from Lizzie’s room was locked. This is why he did not see his wife dead when he first got home.
Additional Details – Lizzie Borden tours & overnight stays
Address: 92 Second Street Fall River, MA 02720
Tours & Bed and Breakfast Information Tours run daily from 10am-4pm and last about an hour. If you dare to stay overnight, you can book any of the 8 rooms in the house. Overnight guests receive an extended tour, a full hot breakfast, and evening snacks. In addition, a library of books and movies relating to the case are available during your visit. Night ghost hunts tours available for an extra 10 bucks.
Tour Prices: $25
Visit the Lizzie Borden museum website for further details.
