The Haunted Lizzie Borden House

Who would have ever guessed that a New England spinster would become a suspect in the murders of her father and stepmother? The method of execution was an axe, which took place on August 4th, 1892 in Fall River, Massachusetts. Lizzie Borden was placed on trial for the slayings, which took the media on a roller coaster of suspicion and gossip.

Interestingly, Borden was acquitted and no one else was ever accused of the murders, which is why her tale has become such well-known folklore in America. Whoever was the killer or killers is still a question that remains this very day.

A catchy saying emerged as a result of the deaths. Have you ever heard:
“Lizzie Borden took an ax,
She gave her mother 40 whacks,
When she seen what she had done,
She gave her father 41. “

If it wasn’t for a really good lawyer, Borden probably would have been sent to jail for the murders. To this day, the house has become a bed and breakfast, which is known to house quite a few active spirits.

As for the background of Borden’s case , it begins with the marriage between Andrew Borden and Abbey Durfee Gray, which wasn’t a match made in heaven. It so happened that Andrew was in need of a housekeeper and needed a mother for his daughters, Lizzie and Emma. Since Abbey was growing older in years, she jumped at the chance to marry Andrew. The girls didn’t take nicely to Abbey and always referred to her as Mrs. Borden. They simply did not want her to become a part of their family.

While living under the same roof, the girls kept to themselves , often locking their doors to keep Abbey away. On the day of the murders, the only people about the house was Lizzie, Andrew, Abbey, and the maid, who was in the yard chatting it up with another maid as she washed the outside of the windows. As an alibi, Lizzie exclaimed that she too was outside of the house , eating pears underneath a tree on the premises.

Abbey was killed while in the guest bedroom. She was changing the sheets at the time. Andrew was slain about 90 minutes later, as he sat in the living room. He was taking a nap on the couch at the time of his murder. The maid would later report that she saw Lizzie burning a dress in the backyard.

There is a lot of controversy surrounding this murder mystery, as almost everyone at the time and still today has a theory. The house has been reported haunted, as cold spots are detected in many of the rooms. It is believed that the ghost of Abbey has been known to climb into some of the guest beds. Her image has been seen in plain sight at times. She has also been spotted dusting about the house and making the beds.

Unexplainable voices have also been heard about the premises. The closing of doors also takes place. Sometimes, unknown arguments have been heard, which has involved female voices. It is indeed a curious place to spend the night.