Lizzie Borden

 

The Haunted Lizzie Borden Bed and Breakfast

The History

Situated on a rocky hill that slopes downward to hug the eastern shore of Mount Hope Bay, Fall River, Massachusetts, was once the crown jewel of the textile industry in the United States. The town thrived during the 19th century, when mills sprang up along the Quequechan River, but achieved lasting notoriety as the setting of one of the most gruesome, unsolved double-murder cases in American history. On the morning of August 4, 1892, before the clock struck noon, family patriarch Andrew Borden was murdered as he was napping on a settee in the sitting room and his wife Abby butchered in the guest room.

Prior to their murders, Andrew and Abby had been living in the humble, Greek-Revival house on Second Street with Andrew’s grown daughters Emma and Lizzie as well as their maid, Bridget Sullivan. Emma was out of town, staying with friends, on that fateful day, leaving only Lizzie and the maid at home when the murders were committed. Bridget had been washing windows outside the house at the time of the murders, and was quickly ruled out as a suspect, so all eyes turned to Lizzie. Her apparent disdain for her stepmother and ever-changing alibis troubled the authorities, but Lizzie insisted she was innocent, claiming that an intruder must have made his way in and out of the house undetected.

After an investigation – which most notably included the discovery of a hatchet with a newly broken handle in the home’s cellar – Lizzie Borden was charged with the murders of her father and stepmother. However, there was no conclusive proof that the hatchet was the murder weapon and eyewitness testimony of Lizzie burning a dress that may or may not have been worn on the day of the murders was not enough to convince the jury. She was acquitted legally, though suspicions of her guilt have never abated. The Borden murders remain officially unsolved.

More than 120 years later, the property is a functioning bed and breakfast. Amateur sleuths, professional detectives, and paranormal investigators continue to investigate the grisly mystery, hoping to discover some overlooked clue. Many theories and suspects have been debated. Andrew Borden’s reputation as a wealthy miser was well-earned and may have garnered him enemies. Could one of them have had a motive for murder?

The Hauntings

Guests and staff members alike, of this famous Bed and Breakfast, have had their share of strange experiences in the house. Some have reported the sounds of a woman weeping and others claim to have seen a woman in Victorian era clothing dusting the furniture and straightening the covers on the beds. Occasionally, this even happens when the guests are still in the bed! Others have heard the sounds of footsteps going up and down the stairs and crossing back and forth on the floor above, even when they know the house is empty. Doors open and close as well and often, muffled conversation can be heard coming from inside of otherwise vacant rooms. Guests also experience finding the bedding shifted from the original well fit appointment done by the staff. 

Extending the Story...

The Borden family is no stranger to tragedy. Just next door to the Borden home was the home of Lizzie’s Great Uncle Lawdwick. Uncle Lawdwick’s second wife, Eliza Darling Borden brutally murdered 2 of their 3 children when she threw all of them down a well just before slitting her own throat with a straight razor.

It is said that these 2 children, Eliza and Holder, haunt the Lizzie Borden House today. It is not uncommon for guests to bring small toys for the earthbound spirits to play with. Guests have reported hearing children’s laughter and the sound of children playing on the second and third floors. There is a room in the house called the “children’s room” where most of the activity has been experienced.

Source: