The Lizzie Borden House is a historic home, museum, and inn at 230 Second Street in Fall River, Massachusetts, where Andrew and Abby Borden were murdered on August 4, 1892. Lizzie Borden was tried and acquitted, and no one else was convicted. Visitors can tour restored rooms, study the case in its Gilded Age setting, attend evening programs, or stay overnight; paranormal stories remain reported claims rather than proven facts.
Why the Lizzie Borden House matters
The Borden case became one of the most discussed murder mysteries in American history because it combined an apparently respectable family, a violent crime, conflicting evidence, intense newspaper coverage, and questions about gender and class. The surviving house gives the story a physical scale that photographs and courtroom summaries cannot provide.
Andrew Borden bought the Second Street property in 1872 and converted what had been a two-family dwelling into a home for his household. The location was practical: his business interests were nearby in downtown Fall River. The neighborhood, however, was busier and less fashionable than “the Hill,” where some of the city’s prosperous families lived. That distinction became part of later discussion about the Bordens’ wealth, habits, and family tensions.
The interior arrangement is essential to understanding the case. Most rooms connect directly to one another, with few hallways and numerous locked doors. Andrew and his second wife, Abby, occupied the house with Andrew’s adult daughters, Emma and Lizzie, and their Irish-born domestic worker, Bridget Sullivan. The compressed layout shaped movement, privacy, testimony, and investigators’ theories.
The murders and the trial
On the morning of August 4, 1892, Abby Borden was killed in an upstairs guest room and Andrew Borden was killed downstairs while resting on a sitting-room sofa. Bridget Sullivan and Lizzie were the only other known people in the house when Andrew’s body was found. Emma was away.
Police investigated family relationships, finances, access to the house, a burned dress, alleged attempts to purchase poison, and inconsistencies in accounts of the morning. Lizzie was arrested, indicted, and tried in New Bedford in 1893. The jury acquitted her. No other person was convicted, and the double murder remains officially unsolved.
That legal fact matters. Popular culture often treats Lizzie’s guilt as settled, but an acquittal is not a footnote. The evidence and courtroom rules should be examined in their historical context, without turning suspicion into certainty. The familiar rhyme is also inaccurate: the number of blows in the verse does not match the medical evidence.
Fall River and the Gilded Age
In 1892, Fall River was a major textile-manufacturing center shaped by mills, immigration, industrial wealth, labor, and pronounced social divisions. The case unfolded amid debates about respectable womanhood and whether a middle-class white woman could commit such violence. Newspapers competed for readers with dramatic coverage, while the trial exposed the unequal expectations placed on defendants, servants, working people, and women.
After the trial, Lizzie and Emma moved to a larger house on French Street that Lizzie named Maplecroft. Lizzie remained a public figure despite her acquittal and lived in Fall River until her death in 1927. She and other family members are buried at Oak Grove Cemetery, now included in some local history tours.
From private home to museum and inn
The Second Street house later became a visitor destination and lodging property. Its rooms have been restored and furnished to interpret the Borden household and the morning of the murders. Some furnishings are period-appropriate reproductions, and displays include case-related material. The goal is an immersive environment, not a claim that every object remained untouched since 1892.
Current house tours visit the rooms and basement while discussing the family, architecture, evidence, investigation, and trial. The building also operates as an inn with guest rooms named for people connected to the case. Staying overnight is a commercial experience inside a sensitive historical location, so visitors should expect clear house rules and treat both staff and the story respectfully.
Is the Lizzie Borden House haunted?
Guests, employees, tour guides, and paranormal investigators have described footsteps, voices, moving objects, cold areas, and a sense of unseen presence. The operator promotes ghost hunts, nighttime programs, and the house’s haunted reputation. Such accounts are part of the property’s modern identity and have helped keep the story visible in tourism and popular media.
No paranormal report establishes that a spirit is present or identifies who it would be. Old buildings make ordinary sounds, and expectation can shape how ambiguous events are perceived. HauntsUSA records the claims as folklore and visitor testimony, separate from documented dates, court outcomes, and physical history.
Planning your visit
The property is open daily as an inn and museum, generally from 10 a.m. to midnight. Official 90-minute house tours are offered between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.; evening ghost programs and cemetery tours follow separate schedules. Because special events and overnight operations can change access, reserve ahead and verify the exact experience you are purchasing.
The address is 230 Second Street, Fall River, Massachusetts. Call 508-675-7333 for current tour, lodging, parking, age, or accessibility information. The Fall River Historical Society maintains a major collection related to the case and is a valuable companion stop for visitors who want deeper documentary context.
Frequently asked questions
Did Lizzie Borden commit the murders?
Lizzie was charged and tried, but a jury acquitted her in 1893. The crime remains unsolved, so responsible history does not present her guilt as established fact.
Can you stay overnight?
Yes. The house operates as an inn, with rooms and suites available by reservation.
Are the rooms original?
The historic house and its room arrangement survive, while décor and furnishings have been restored or reproduced to interpret the period.
How long is a house tour?
The official site lists house tours at approximately 90 minutes. Other programs vary.
Continue exploring haunted history in Massachusetts or browse the HauntsUSA directory of historic haunted places.
Sources and further reading
- Official Lizzie Borden House: Hours, Tours and Visitor Information
- Official Lizzie Borden House: House and Case History
- Official Lizzie Borden House: Frequently Asked Questions
- Fall River Historical Society: Lizzie Borden Collections
- Fall River Historical Society
Last reviewed September 26, 2026. This page discusses a real double murder without graphic detail. Lizzie Borden’s acquittal is stated clearly. Paranormal claims are presented as reports, not facts. Confirm current hours and booking policies directly. Any generated editorial artwork used on this page is illustrative and not documentary photography.