Lizzie Borden House: Inside the $2 Million Haunted Murder Mansion at 230 Second Street, Fall River, Massachusetts

Few addresses in American history carry as much dark fascination as 230 Second Street, Fall River, Massachusetts. This is the Lizzie Borden House, the site of one of the most sensational unsolved double murders of the 19th century, a Victorian home frozen in time, and today one of New England’s most visited tourist destinations. Whether you are drawn by true crime history, paranormal legend, Victorian architecture, or the enduring mystery of what really happened on August 4, 1892, the Lizzie Borden House delivers an experience unlike any other in America.

In this complete guide, we cover everything about both of Lizzie Borden’s Fall River properties, their history, architecture, current ownership, property values, and what visitors can expect today in 2025.

Lizzie Borden House: Quick Facts

Who Was Lizzie Borden?

Understanding the Lizzie Borden house begins with understanding the woman at the center of its story.

1. Lizzie Andrew Borden was born on July 19, 1860, in Fall River, Massachusetts, the younger daughter of prosperous businessman Andrew Jackson Borden.
2. Her father, Andrew Borden, was one of Fall River’s wealthiest citizens, owner of multiple businesses and properties estimated to be worth approximately $10 million in today’s money, yet the family lived with deliberate simplicity, including no indoor plumbing.
3. Despite her father’s considerable wealth, Lizzie and her older sister Emma were reportedly frustrated by their father’s frugality and their difficult relationship with their stepmother, Abby Durfee Borden, whom their father had married in 1865.
4. On the morning of August 4, 1892, Andrew and Abby Borden were brutally murdered inside the family home on Second Street.
5. Lizzie was charged with both murders, stood trial in one of the most nationally followed criminal proceedings of the 19th century, and was acquitted in June 1893.
6. After her acquittal, she and sister Emma used their inheritance to purchase a grander home called Maplecroft in Fall River’s upscale Highlands District, where Lizzie lived under the name Lizbeth until her death on June 1, 1927.
7. The murders were never officially solved. They remain one of America’s most debated unsolved criminal cases to this day.

Where Is the Lizzie Borden House?

The Lizzie Borden House sits at 230 Second Street in Fall River, Massachusetts, approximately 50 miles south of Boston in Bristol County. The house is located in what was a busy, solidly middle-class neighborhood in the 1890s, and the street today looks deceptively ordinary for a property of such infamous reputation.

Key location facts:

• Fall River is situated in southeastern Massachusetts near the Rhode Island border
• The property is approximately 0.2 miles from the Charles Braga Jr. Bridge
• New Bedford Regional Airport is approximately 13 miles away
• Providence, Rhode Island is approximately 17 miles from the property
• The house is open for tours and overnight stays daily from 10:30 AM to 1:00 AM

Property 1: The Murder House at 230 Second Street

History of the Property

The house at 230 Second Street has a longer history than most people realize. Key dates include:

1. 1845: The building is constructed as a two-family home, a relatively modest Victorian structure on a residential Fall River street.
2. 1872: Andrew Jackson Borden purchases the house and converts it from a two-family dwelling into a single-family residence for his household, setting up bedrooms on the second floor.
3. 1872 to 1892: The Borden family, including Andrew, his wife Abby, daughters Emma and Lizzie, and their live-in maid Bridget Sullivan, occupied the home for twenty years.
4. August 4, 1892: Andrew and Abby Borden are murdered inside the home, triggering one of the most sensational criminal investigations in American history.
5. 1893: Following Lizzie’s acquittal, the Borden family vacates the property.
6. 1996: The home is converted into a bed and breakfast and museum, opening to the public for the first time.
7. May 2021: Lance Zaal, president of U.S. Ghost Adventures, purchases the property and its operating business for approximately $2 million, including the business, trademarks, and intellectual property rights.

Architecture and Exterior

The Lizzie Borden House is a two-story Victorian structure that, by design and by the deliberate choices of Andrew Borden himself, presents a notably plain exterior compared to the grander homes his wealth could have afforded. The exterior features:

• Dark green Victorian clapboard siding that gives the house its distinctive and instantly recognizable appearance
• A modest Victorian-era street-facing facade that blends into the surrounding neighborhood
• Original doors, doorframes, and hinges that have been preserved intact
• A barn outbuilding at the rear of the property, now used as a gift shop

Despite its fame, the house itself does not advertise its infamy from the outside. Visitors arriving for the first time often remark on how understated the exterior is, making the experience of crossing the threshold all the more striking.

Inside the Lizzie Borden House: Room by Room

The nine-room interior of the Lizzie Borden House has been painstakingly restored and recreated to reflect its appearance on the morning of August 4, 1892. The restoration drew on:

• Original crime scene photographs from the 1892 investigation
• Written documentation of the home’s furnishings during the Borden family’s occupation
• Period wallpaper, carpeting, and household items sourced to match the originals as closely as possible

The Sitting Room (First Floor)

This is arguably the most historically significant room in the entire property. It was here, on the sitting room sofa, that Andrew Borden was murdered on the morning of August 4, 1892, after returning home from his morning errands and lying down to rest. The room features:

• A replica period settee positioned precisely where Andrew Borden was found
• The framed print that hung above the couch, recreated to match crime scene photographs
• Period wallpaper, carpet, and furnishings that replicate the room’s original appearance
• Antique furnishings positioned to match documented crime scene photographs exactly

This front parlor also serves as the room where, according to historical accounts, Lizzie learned she was the prime suspect in her father and stepmother’s murders.

The Guest Room (Second Floor)

The second-floor guest room, now offered as one of the bed and breakfast’s most requested overnight accommodations, is where Abby Borden was murdered earlier that same morning. Key features include:

• A period bed and furnishings that recreate the room’s appearance in 1892
• The room is consistently reported by overnight guests as the most paranormally active space in the house
• Guests who book this room specifically often report unexplained cold spots, sounds, and other phenomena

The Remaining Rooms

The full nine-room layout includes:

• Multiple second-floor bedrooms, each restored to period appearance
• Original wood floors throughout
• A central staircase with original railings that serves as a frequently reported hotspot for paranormal activity
• Original radiators that Andrew Borden himself installed when he converted the home in 1872
• Period wallpaper and fireplaces throughout

A critical preservation note: Today, the exact layout of Mr. Borden’s reconstruction remains intact. No walls have been added or taken down since the 1872 renovation. The doors, doorframes, and hinges are all original, as are some of the windows and all of the radiators.

The Restoration Philosophy

The current presentation of the Lizzie Borden House is the result of an unusually careful and documented restoration process. With the help of crime scene photos and written documentation of how things were when the Bordens resided there, the entire inside decor has been painstakingly replicated. From the carpets to the floral wall coverings, even to the framed print that hangs above the couch where Mr. Borden would take his last mid-morning nap, the Borden house appears shockingly identical when compared to the actual murder scene photographs.

Current owner Lance Zaal has added display cases for significant artifacts, including Lizzie’s personal books and a costume dress from a 1975 movie about her life.

The Murder: August 4, 1892

No article about the Lizzie Borden House is complete without a clear account of the events that made it infamous.

The Timeline of August 4, 1892:

1. Morning, approximately 9:00 AM: Abby Borden is found in the second-floor guest room, having been struck multiple times with a sharp instrument. She is estimated to have been killed approximately 60 to 90 minutes before her husband.
2. Approximately 10:30 AM: Andrew Borden returns home from his morning business errands. He lies down on the sitting room sofa to rest.
3. Between 10:30 AM and 11:30 AM: Andrew Borden is murdered on the sitting room sofa. Lizzie later states she was in the backyard barn at the estimated time of both killings. The family maid Bridget Sullivan had been resting in her attic bedroom.
4. Approximately 11:30 AM: Lizzie claims to discover her father’s body and calls for help, drawing the attention of neighbors and Bridget Sullivan.
5. August 11, 1892: Lizzie Borden is arrested and charged with both murders.
6. June 1893: Following a nationally covered trial, Lizzie Borden is acquitted of both charges. The murders are never officially solved.

The case generated one of the most famous pieces of American folk verse, still widely quoted today: “Lizzie Borden took an axe, and gave her mother forty whacks. When she saw what she had done, she gave her father forty-one.”

Property 2: Maplecroft at 306 French Street

Overview

Approximately one mile north of the murder house, in Fall River’s more upscale Highlands District, stands the second key property in the Lizzie Borden story: Maplecroft, at 306 French Street. This is where Lizzie lived for the entire second half of her life after her acquittal, and where she died in 1927.

Key facts about Maplecroft:

• Built approximately 1887 to 1889, commissioned by Charles Allen
• Purchased by Lizzie and her sister Emma Borden in 1893 following Lizzie’s acquittal
• Lizzie named the property “Maplecroft” and had the name chiseled into the front steps, where it can still be seen today
• After her acquittal, Lizzie lived under the name Lizbeth at this address
• Lizzie Borden died here on June 1, 1927, and her funeral services were held in the home
• After her death, Lizzie was buried next to her parents at Oak Grove Cemetery in Fall River
• The property was most recently listed with an asking price of approximately $799,000, reduced from an original listing of $849,000

Architecture and Design

Maplecroft is a dramatically different property from the modest Victorian murder house on Second Street. It is a high-style Queen Anne Victorian mansion that reflects the considerable wealth Lizzie inherited following her parents’ deaths. The property features the following:

Exterior:

• Grand Queen Anne Victorian architecture in Fall River’s prestigious Highlands District
• The name “Maplecroft” carved into the front steps, visible to visitors today
• Approximately 3,935 to 4,000 square feet of living space
• Situated on just under half an acre of land in the historic Highlands neighborhood

Interior highlights:

• 7 to 8 bedrooms and 3.5 bathrooms across 14 total rooms
• 6 fireplaces with exquisite ornate mantelpieces that some historians believe hold hidden symbolic meaning
• Walnut wainscoting throughout the principal rooms
• Inlaid parquet floors of exceptional quality
• Stained glass windows and decorative elements
• Coffered ceilings in the parlor
• Tin ceilings in the kitchen
• Fully restored period furnishings that speak to the Victorian grandeur Lizzie aspired to after her years in the modest Second Street home

The interior has been described by real estate professionals and historians as one of the finest preserved examples of high Victorian domestic architecture in Fall River. The restoration work carried out by previous owners returned the mansion to its original grandeur with no detail overlooked.

Maplecroft Today

Maplecroft is not open to the public on a regular basis, unlike the Second Street murder house. It has changed hands several times in recent decades. Key recent ownership history includes:

1. The property was sold in February 2018 for $600,000
2. Subsequent owners Donald Woods and Lee-ann Wilber invested approximately $200,000 in improvements including a hidden sprinkler system
3. The property was listed again in 2020 at $890,000, later reduced to $799,000
4. The owner of the Lizzie Borden Bed and Breakfast (Lance Zaal) has also been associated with Maplecroft through the broader Borden property portfolio

The Lizzie Borden House Today: B&B, Museum, and More

Under the ownership of Lance Zaal and U.S. Ghost Adventures, the Lizzie Borden House at 230 Second Street has evolved into one of New England’s most multifaceted tourist destinations. Current offerings include:

Overnight Stays:

• Guests can book one of six restored Victorian bedrooms, including the room where Abby Borden was killed
• Rooms include a breakfast for an additional fee per person
• The breakfast menu is inspired by what the Borden family ate on the morning of August 4, 1892

Tours and Experiences:

• Daily guided historical tours running from 10:30 AM to 1:00 AM
• Nightly ghost tours exploring the paranormal history of the house
• Forensic workshops and investigation programs
• Murder mystery nights and Victorian dinners
• An on-site escape room experience
• Axe throwing on the property grounds
• Wedding venue services for couples seeking an unconventional setting

Shopping:

• A gift shop in the property’s barn outbuilding featuring hatchets, Lizzie Borden board games, and other themed memorabilia

The Property Value and Business:

The listing agent for the 2021 sale described the transaction as an “unbelievable opportunity to own and operate one of New England’s top tourist attractions.” The sale included:

1. The physical property at 230 Second Street
2. The operating bed and breakfast and museum business
3. All associated trademarks and intellectual property rights
4. The option to also purchase Maplecroft as part of the same transaction

Paranormal Activity: America’s Most Haunted House?

The Lizzie Borden House is consistently ranked among the most haunted locations in the United States, and the paranormal dimension of the property is a major driver of its tourism. Reported phenomena include:

• Eerie footsteps echoing through the house at night
• Sudden and unexplained cold spots, particularly in the Abby Borden guest room
• Shadowy figures reported near the central staircase
• Voices and whispers with no identifiable source
• Doors that open and close on their own
• Ghostly apparitions reported in Victorian-era clothing, believed by some guests to be the spirits of Andrew or Abby Borden

The Abby Borden room is the single most requested overnight booking in the property, with guests actively seeking a paranormal encounter in the room where Abby was killed. Reports from overnight guests fill paranormal forums and travel review sites, with visitors consistently describing a heavy, present atmosphere that defies easy explanation.

Whether one believes in the paranormal or not, the psychological weight of the home’s history creates an atmosphere that very few buildings anywhere in America can match.

Cultural Legacy of the Lizzie Borden House

The Lizzie Borden case and the property at 230 Second Street have inspired an extraordinary range of cultural works over more than 130 years:

Film and Television:

• The 1975 TV film The Legend of Lizzie Borden starring Elizabeth Montgomery
• The 2018 film Lizzie featuring Chloë Sevigny
• Multiple documentary series on major streaming platforms

Books and Podcasts:

• Dozens of true crime books dedicated to the case
• A thriving podcast ecosystem covering the murders, the trial, and ongoing forensic analysis

Ongoing Academic Interest:

• The house serves as a research site for legal historians studying the development of forensic investigation in the United States
• Criminal law scholars continue to analyze the 1893 trial as a landmark case in American legal history

The rhyme “Lizzie Borden took an axe” remains one of the most recognized pieces of American folk verse, a testament to the enduring grip the case holds on the national imagination.

Lizzie Borden House: Complete Property Comparison

How to Visit the Lizzie Borden House

Address: 230 Second Street, Fall River, Massachusetts 02721

Hours: Daily, 10:30 AM to 1:00 AM

How to get there:

• By car: Approximately 50 miles south of Boston via I-195
• By car from Providence, RI: Approximately 17 miles east via I-195

Booking options:

• Day tours available without reservation during open hours
• Overnight stays must be booked in advance through the official website
• Special events including ghost hunts, murder mystery dinners, and escape rooms require advance booking

Final Thoughts

The Lizzie Borden House at 230 Second Street, Fall River, Massachusetts is far more than a crime scene or a tourist attraction. It is one of America’s most perfectly preserved windows into Victorian domestic life, a landmark of legal and forensic history, and a property whose story has never stopped fascinating the public after more than 130 years.

Whether you visit as a true crime enthusiast, a history buff, a paranormal investigator, or simply someone who wants to spend a night unlike any other, the Lizzie Borden House delivers. It is, without question, one of the most remarkable buildings in New England, and one of the most significant historical properties in the United States.