In December 1892, Lizzie Borden was arrested on suspicion of killing her father and stepmother with a hatchet in their Fall River, Massachusetts, home.
Nearly 10 months after her arrest, Borden was acquitted of the crimes, in part because prosecutors lacked physical evidence linking her to the killings. No one else was charged in connection with the murders, and more than a century later, the case remains unsolved.
The crime has inspired countless adaptations, including Netflix’s “Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story,” the fourth installment of Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan’s anthology series, which premieres September 17.
While the story continues to draw audiences, the Borden home has become an attraction in its own right. Last listed for sale in 2021 for $2 million, the property now offers ghost tours and operates as a bed-and-breakfast, with rooms starting at $259 a night.
Take a look inside the site of one of America’s earliest true-crime stories.
The Borden family house is in Fall River, Massachusetts.
Fall River is about 52 miles south of Boston, near the border between Massachusetts and Rhode Island.
Andrew Borden was a well-to-do businessman.
According to the Lizzie Borden House’s bed-and-breakfast website, although Andrew Borden was born into a prominent New England family, he grew up middle-class.
He began his career as a carpenter and cabinetmaker, later amassing a considerable fortune through a mix of real estate investments, mill ownership, and banking. At the time of his death, his net worth was reportedly over $300,000, equivalent to roughly $10 million today, according to the website.
Andrew carefully selected their Massachusetts home.
The house was built in 1845 and purchased by Andrew Borden in the 1870s, local news outlet WJAR reported.
Borden chose the home in part for its practical location — a short walk from his Main Street businesses in a bustling part of town —according to the Borden bed-and-breakfast’s website.
Over a century later, the Borden home has become a popular tourist attraction.
Donald Woods and Leann Wilbur operated the Lizzie Borden Bed & Breakfast Museum for more than 15 years before selling it in 2021.
Lance Zaal, founder of US Ghost Adventures, bought the property for $1.8 million and has continued operating it as an inn and museum, The Wall Street Journal reported.
The home looks as though it were pulled straight from the pages of a history book.
While some of the home’s furnishings have been replaced over the years with replicas, its original doors and hardware remain intact.
Period details are scattered throughout the home, including sewing machines, lanterns, and mannequins dressed in floor-length, era-appropriate gowns.
The home is spread out over three levels.
Altogether, the home occupies a little over 3,600 square feet.
The spacious home can be booked in its entirety and accommodates groups of up to 20 people.
Floor plans of the home shared with Business Insider show it has 8 bedrooms and 3.5 bathrooms.
The second and third floors are almost exclusively devoted to living quarters.
All of the bedrooms have floral wallpaper, ornate dressers, and large wooden headboards.
For an additional $30, guests can also arrange to have an axe placed on the beds.
Most of the bedrooms are on the second floor, and some are on the third.
The primary bedroom includes an en suite bathroom with a tub, according to The Seyboth Team, the brokerage that handled the property’s most recent sale.
You can stay in one of the home’s rooms for $249 a night.
Though the home operates as a bed-and-breakfast, it also remains a museum and tour site. Guests staying more than one night must vacate the property between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m.
This is the John V. Morse Suite.
This room is where Abby Borden was found after her murder. Eerily, a photograph of Lizzie Borden hangs in the bedroom.
According to the bed-and-breakfast’s website, guests have reported paranormal experiences in rooms throughout the home.
This was Andrew and Abby’s bedroom.
It’s the only suite in the entire home that has its own bathroom.
The kitchen is located on the first floor.
The home has an old-fashioned wood-burning stove that certainly looks like a throwback to the 1800s.
It also has modern appliances like a coffee maker and a dishwasher.
Despite modern appliances, the room still feels historical.
The first floor has several rooms dedicated to entertaining.
At first glance, this unassuming sitting room appears rather ordinary. But it conceals a dark history: Andrew Borden was killed here while sitting on the large black couch.
There’s a less eerie space for entertaining.
For couples drawn to the home’s spooky history, the Borden house hosts several weddings each year. This room would make an intimate setting for a cocktail hour.
The home also has a separate gift shop.
The gift shop sells items including a Lizzie Borden coloring book, a collector’s miniature hatchet, and a mug modeled after Lizzie’s mug shot.
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