When speaking of the most well-known haunted places in the United States, Fall River’s Lizzie Borden House is always on the list. And with good reason. Today, Borden is best known for the rhyme that she is associated with, “Lizzie Borden took an axe, and gave her mother forty whacks. When she saw what she had done, she gave her father forty-one.” Although Borden may have been found not guilty, even over 120 years later, this murder mystery is confounding, and her home has since had its share of ghostly associations. Move over OJ because the Lizzie Borden trial was one of the biggest “trials of the century,” the 19th century that is.
As a purveyor of all things legends and lore, I can’t believe it took me this long to get there. A visit to the Lizzie Borden House is truly a must, not just for ghost hunters, but for history buffs and true crime fans as well. At the Lizzie Borden House, an array of tours and visits are available. The choices include a house tour with an optional basement extension, ghost tours, overnight ghost hunting, and an overnight stay. Yes, the Lizzie Borden House is an actual and quite popular bed and breakfast. Check out this link for a list of all the tour options.
Visiting the Lizzie Borden House
I’m not quite sure if I’d be ready for the overnight adventure, so an afternoon house tour with the basement extension seemed like the perfect foray for my oldest son and me to enter into the world of Lizzie Borden. Our guide, Elaina Mariani, was simply fantastic. She is effortlessly able to blend information surrounding the factual case of Borden’s life and trial with tales of the house’s otherworldly persona. In each room, she offered pertinent details about the personalities, professions, and habits of each family member and relation that was involved in the Lizzie Borden case. She presented ample information so you, the visitor, can decide whether you think that Lizzie committed the crimes or not.
Our Tour Begins
Without giving away too much information, let’s dive into our house tour:
It is the perfect mix of history, true crime, and campfire tales. For example, the first stop on the tour is the parlor. Here, the backgrounds of many of the major players in the story are introduced. And let’s dissect the Lizzie rhyme for a moment. For one, an axe wasn’t used in the murder. For another, her mother died years earlier. Abby Borden, the woman who was killed, was actually Lizzie’s stepmother. Sitting there, listening to the backstory of the event, it’s hard to ignore the presumed dummy lying on the couch, covered with a sheet. Eventually, we find out it is Andrew Borden, Lizzie’s miserly father, who was murdered. The sheet is removed, and Andrew’s effigy is made to look as he did postmortem, face smashed in and eyes bugging out. Being in the room of the actual murder, with the interior decorated in period tones, and seeing this grisly figure is enough to send chills up one’s spine. Touches such as these combine the historical with the macabre.
Other rooms on the first floor include the dining room, where the autopsy was performed on Andrew… on the dinner table! Among the rooms you can stay in overnight are the John V. Morse Suite. Morse was Lizzy’s uncle. Don’t be disturbed to find the dummy of Abby Borden, murdered on the floor when she was changing the sheets in this room. Morse was an unexpected visitor to this room the night before. When I asked if Mrs. Borden is moved for the overnight guests, Elaina matter-of-factly stated that she can be, but most guests ask her to stay. Some guests have felt her presence in certain ways. In other rooms, ghosts of children can be experienced with mischievous goings-on, such as a ball rolling unprovoked. In another room, don’t dare take a penny or else expect to experience incredibly dreadful luck; conversely, it’s best to leave some change during your stay.
A Must-Visit!
The tour is full of highlights such as these. It’s a fascinating inside look into the story of Lizzie Borden. US Ghost Adventures, which operates the Lizzie Borden House among many other properties and ghost tour locations across the nation, makes the home just creepy enough. It’s not overboard like a hokey haunted house attraction, but with guides like Elaina telling the tales, history, and spookiness are mixed perfectly. My son, at ten, was nervous at first, but fully enjoyed the tour without any nightmares. He was even able to come to his own conclusions about whether Lizzie was guilty or not.
Final Thoughts
For this adventure, I had him take notes on the car ride back home.
His notes are as follows:
“When I saw the dummies, I thought they were regular, but Mr. Borden’s eyes were out. The tour guide was awesome, plus she saw the (spirit of) the cat from the people who had the house recently. Next door to the Borden House were three kids that got drowned by their own mother. One survived though. They are supposed to haunt the kids’ room. The tour guide and guests saw a ball move and the little boy hides under the green chair. If you take a picture of a basement wall, you might see a face. And don’t forget to turn your flash on. Lizzie Borden is not supposed to haunt the Borden House, and she might not caused the crime. On Mrs. Borden’s head, there was a number 17. The murder may not have been because of an axe or hatchet. The people before the Bordens might haunt the house, too. Mr. Borden sounds like a cranky guy.”
If you have more questions after reading Danny’s notes, you’ll have to plan your own tour to the Lizzie Borden House for answers!
Touring (or staying overnight if you dare!) the Lizzie Borden House in Fall River is highly recommended. For information, check out the following links: https://lizzie-borden.com/ and https://usghostadventures.com/haunted-houses/lizzie-borden-house/ for more information.
