Monster, the true-crime anthology series on Netflix by Ryan Murphy, just released its fourth season titled Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story. Previous seasons of the hit show told the stories of some of America’s most infamous murderers, including Jeffrey Dahmer, Lyle and Erik Menendez, and Ed Gein.
The new season centers on the famous alleged murderer Lizzie Borden. Borden was acquitted of the 1892 hatchet murders of her father and stepmother at their home in Fall River, Massachusetts.
Today, the Borden family’s house still stands, and true crime fans (as well as those interested in the paranormal) can stay in the Victorian-era home where the murders took place. Known as the Lizzie Borden House, it is now a bed-and-breakfast and museum that many claim is “haunted.”
The Lizzie Borden murders, explained
Lizzie Borden was accused of the brutal hatchet murders of her father, Andrew, and stepmother, Abby, on August 4, 1892. Borden’s father was killed in the home’s sitting room (and reportedly took 11 blows to the head with the hatchet), while her stepmother was killed in an upstairs bedroom (with 19 blows to the head).
Lizzie and the family’s Irish maid, Bridget Sullivan, were the only people in the home when the murders occurred. Lizzie was arrested in June 1893 and tried.
The defense argued Lizzie murdered her parents over inheritance concerns, but she was acquitted of the murders due to a lack of evidence on June 20, 1893.
The Lizzie Borden House, back then
According to the Lizzie Borden House website, Andrew Borden bought the home at 92 Second Street (now 230 Second Street) in 1872. He remodeled the home to accommodate his family, including Lizzie’s sister, Emma.
“He chose the house due to its pragmatic location—a short walking distance to his businesses on main street, one block over,” the site states. “It sat amid other businesses, horse stables, stores, a laundry, and a make-shift restaurant.”
The home also has a small barn, which Lizzie claimed to be in when the murders took place. The home was outfitted with Victorian-style furniture and lots of floral wallpaper.
What the Lizzie Borden House is like today
According to Realtor.com, the house has operated as a bed-and-breakfast since the 1990s. New owners bought it in 2021 for $2 million.
Visitors can book a stay in one of the house’s two suites and four rooms, including the exact room where Abby was murdered. The Lizzie & Emma Suite was Lizzie and Emma Borden’s room, while the Andrew & Abby Suite was Andrew and Abby Borden’s bedroom.
The decor has been “painstakingly replicated” to look as if it did back on that fateful day in 1892, and the home’s “original hardware and doors are still intact.”
Inside is a small museum that features memorabilia and artifacts from the murder trial, including family portraits and skull replicas of the hatchet’s impact.
It also serves some of the same breakfast foods that the Borden family allegedly ate the morning of the murders, noting that they “excluded things like mutton and johnnycakes.” The home is also allegedly haunted, with guests documenting paranormal activity.
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