The Fall River area Chamber of Commerce and Industry has a bit about the Borden mystery on their website. Here is a direct quote, warts and all:
A sizzling August, 1892. A double murder. An ax. Lizzie Borden. Did she or didn’t she? Sleuths from around the world still seek the truth. Books, a movie, even a ballet, explore the possibilities. And so can you. The clues exist to this very day at the scene of the crime: Fall River, Massachusetts.
Lizzie Borden craved a life of luxury and elegance in the city’s fashionable Highlands. That’s where Yankee mill barons built architectural masterpieces on hills overlooking the sparkling waterfront. Her father, a wealthy financier, preferred a more “frugal” lifestyle, with a home downtown near his businesses. A motive for a terrible deed? You be the judge.
The Fall River Historical Society’s collection of artifacts relating to the Borden murder mystery is one of the largest in existence. Actual courtroom evidence from the sensational trial, rare photographs and even the handleless hatchet, the suspected murder weapon, are included in the exhibit.
The Borden Home at 92 Second Street, the site of the infamous ax murders, has become a city landmark. On the 104th anniversary of the double murder, the house was opened to the public for the first time in history. Carefully restored to its original Victorian splendor, the Greek Revival House now operates as a museum and bed & breakfast. Tour the house, view the murder scene, and, if you dare, spend the night.
in addition to these sites, Borden buffs will enjoy visiting Maplecroft (Lizzie’s home after the murders) and the Oak Grove Cemetery (where the Borden’s are buried).
Although found innocent of all wrongdoing, Lizzie Borden remains forever convicted in the minds of many people. Did she get away with murder? Come to Fall River and conduct your own investigation of the mystery that has confounded experts for over a century.
