Halloween is my favorite time of the year, and every year I look for new and exciting spooky things to explore. My roommate and I had read about the Lizzie Borden house where Andrew and Abby Borden were hacked to death with an ax. Since we go to school in Rhode Island, one random Tuesday we hopped in my car and drove over to see what it was all about.
Where is it located?
Located at 230 2nd St, Fall River, MA, the Lizzie Borden House is actually a bed and breakfast as well as museum, which means, yes, you have the option of staying there overnight. Tours for students are $20 and can be purchased on their website.
Each room has been restored to look exactly as it did the day of the murders in 1892, and guests are immediately immersed in the story and mystery of that day. Also in Fall River is the graveyard where the Bordens are buried, which my roommate and I made sure to visit when we were done touring the house. The tour guides gave us directions in the gift shop, which was full of ax merchandise as well as creepy keychains and sweatshirts to show your friends you'd visited.
What is the Tour Like?
The tour is far more than just someone showing you around a creepy house and pointing out where the double murders took place. Once you walk in the front door, you are taken through the entire day of the murders. In the parlor, you learn about their lives, what it was like to be a Borden and possible motives of the suspects. The tour guides tell you what the family ate for breakfast that morning and touch on theories of who committed the murders. As you go through the house, you are allowed to reenact the crime scene photos taken by the police. Super cool, (and definitely creepy!)
Is the Borden House Haunted?
Mediums, psychics and paranormal investigators have all visited the house and claim that there is definitely spiritual energy there. Our tour guide told us that she personally has experienced strange things, from disembodied voices to taps on the shoulder and even whispers in her ear.
Upstairs, there is a small room that once belonged to Lizzie but was later her sister Emma's. When we walked in, my friend and I were immediately uncomfortable and moved to leave as soon as possible. Our tour guide asked if we had felt anything strange while in there, and when we answered yes she told us that Emma's room is often the one people get weird vibes from. Proof of a haunting perhaps?
How Can I Stay Overnight?
Let's be honest, who wouldn't want to stay overnight in a haunted house? Head to the Lizzie Borden House website to book rooms now. You can stay in Lizzie's room, the guest room where her mother was murdered, her parent's suite or one of the three attic rooms, including the maid's. The attic is rumored to have ghost children running around in the night, so as long as you're OK with sharing the space with spirits it should be a blast.
