Underrated Ghost Stories And Mythical Creatures All Over The World
One of the states in the U.S. is Massachusetts, which has Boston as its capital and largest city. When people hear about Massachusetts, the most common thing that comes up is the citizens’ own unique slang called the Boston English.
Boston was named after a town in England and the first ever American lighthouse was built at the Boston Harbor. Massachusetts is also the home of the oldest public park all over the United States and a murder story that has marked the Lizzie Borden House as one of the most haunted places in the area.
The Lizzie Borden House. (Link: https://newengland.com/today/travel/massachusetts/lizzie-borden-house/)
History of the Lizzie Borden House
The Lizzie Borden House is located in Fall River, Massachusetts and is functioning as a bed and breakfast. The house was initially occupied by Lizzie Borden’s father, Andrew Borden, from 1874 to 1892. The Bordens were respected in the area and the family has been one of the most influential families in the region for decades.
Andrew was around 70 years old when he was killed. He was a director of several banks and a commercial landlord. He has been living at the Lizzie Borden House with his second wife, Abby Durfee Gray, and his two children from his first marriage, Emma and Lizzie. Accordingly, the two daughters felt like their home was too modest for their lifestyle so they begged Andrew to live at a much nicer place. However, Andrew did not accede to their wish because of his thriftiness.
A photo showing Lizzie Borden. (Link: https://www.bustle.com/articles/99255-the-9-most-shocking-murders-by-women-because-hell-hath-no-fury-like-these-female-killers)
According to the reports, Andrew and his wife, were killed one August afternoon. Andrew went to rest at the sofa downstairs and did not suspect that his wife was already dead in the upstairs guestroom. Allegedly, the wife has been dead for around two hours before Andrew was killed. Days before they were killed, they already fell ill and it is believed that it was part of the plan.
The maid, Bridget, was reportedly taking a nap when the killings took place. Allegedly, she heard Lizzie calling to her to come down and said, “Father’s dead! Somebody’s come in and killed him!” Bridget asked Lizzie where she was when her father was killed and Lizzie said she was out in the yard. When one of their family friends came to see what has happened, that person asked Lizzie where she was when her father was killed. This time, she replied, “I went to the barn to get a piece of iron.”
A photo showing the dead body of Andrew Borden at the Lizzie Borden House. (Link: https://mysteryinthehistory.com/american-murder-mystery-lizzie-borden/)
Abby was hit with a sharp object while she was making the bed. She received 19 blows to her head. Andrew, on the other hand, was attacked while he was sleeping and because of the damage done on the man’s face, he was unidentifiable at first. The old man received eleven blows to his face that one eye was cut in half and his nose was severed. It is believed that the same ax was used to kill both Mr. and Mrs. Borden.
A photo showing the dead body of Abby Borden at the Lizzie Borden House. (Link: http://kidskunst.info/linked/lizzie-borden-murderpedia-the-encyclopedia-of-murderers-6c697a7a6965.htm)
The Murder Investigation
The murder investigation did not go so well because it was against the social understanding during that time that a woman could do such a thing. However, the facts pointed to only one suspect – to Lizzie. The case was then developed against Lizzie despite the absence of physical evidence, a motive for the killings, and a sequence of how the killings happened.
Weeks later, a timeline was formulated and it ran from the day the Bordens were killed, which was August 3, up to August 7. Accordingly, on August 7, the friend of Lizzie, Alice Russell, saw her friend burning a dress, which could have been blood stained. Investigators also later found out that Lizzie tried to buy prussic acid but the clerk at the drugstore refused to give her what she was asking for because there was no prescription. Lizzie said she needed the acid to kill moths in a sealskin cape.
Aside from Alice being able to see Lizzie burn her dress, she claimed that Lizzie visited her one evening and said that she was worried over the threats sent to her father. Allegedly, her father had enemies and she believed something was going to happen to the family.
Police also later asked where the hatchets could be found in the house. Bridget showed the police where they were hidden. One of these hatchets had a broken handle and was covered in ashes. It is believed that the handle was just recently removed so it was taken into evidence. When one of the officers asked Lizzie where she was that morning on the day that the murders took place, Lizzie said that she was in the barn looking for iron. However, when the investigators went to check on the barn, they found the floor thick with dust and no evidence of anyone being present there recently.
After the investigation, the inquest, and the testimonies being given, Lizzie was charged with the murder of her father and her step mother and was taken into custody. The trial for the case was set on June 5, 1893. The trial lasted for 14 days and it was big news all over the United States.
She was, however, acquitted.
Lizzie and Emma’s New Life After The Deaths
After the trial and the death of their father and step mom, the sisters purchased a home at 306 French Street in Fall River. It was, at that time, the most fashionable area in the city. By 1904, Lizzie and Emma stopped speaking to each other. Lizzie died on June 1, 1927 at the age of 67. Emma died nine days later.
To this day, the murders remain a mystery.
The new home of Lizzie Borden and her sister Emma after the former was acquitted. (Link: http://www.patriotledger.com/article/20141121/NEWS/141128738)
A Night At The Lizzie Borden House
The Lizzie Borden House became a bed and breakfast back in 1996 and the owners offer tours for those who want to experience the supposed paranormal activities that are happening at the allegedly haunted home.
One woman named Lyndsey Matthew of a publication called Country Living spent the night at the Lizzie Borden House with her sister. The woman felt very unsettled when they came to the house because she knew that someone was murdered in that very room. During the tour, the tour guide showed them a number of photos that were taken by the guests. One photo was taken by a woman staying in the same room they were staying at. The photo showed a figure of a woman on one side of the bed while they were sleeping. The room where Abby was killed is said to be very creep because photos of the crime scene were placed inside the room. This is the most requested room at the B&B.
The room at the Lizzie Borden House where the stepmom was killed. (Link: https://www.tripadvisor.com/LocationPhotoDirectLink-g41564-d209550-i43685997-Lizzie_Borden_House-Fall_River_Massachusetts.html)
The woman was ready to sleep and get the night over with but she heard a loud beeping sound through the wall of their bedroom. Accordingly, one of the girls who was staying for the night downloaded an app that could supposedly detect the presence of ghosts. Accordingly, whenever the girl went near the room where Abby was murdered, the beeping became louder and louder. When the girl was in another room, however, where no murders took place, there were no beeping sounds.
She also revealed that while they were sleeping, they suddenly heard three loud blasts, which was a fire alarm, that rang throughout the house. It was around 3 in the morning and the alarm sounded for no reason at all. One of the staff claimed that although the wiring is already faulty at the Lizzie Borden House because of how old the structure is, they think it’s not a coincidence that the fire alarm goes off during the same time at least once in a few months.
The Lizzie Borden House Being Part Of A Show
The Lizzie Borden House has been featured in a show. In 2015, it was featured in “Thin Lizzie,” which is an episode on The CW series “Supernatural.” The story revolved around murders at the Lizzie Borden House Bed & Breakfast.
