PEOPLE’s Julie Jordan along with Liz Beedle and Emily Penke, aka the Ghost Moms, stayed the night at the infamous house that is believed to be haunted
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It’s impossible to walk into the Lizzie Borden House in Fall River, Mass., and not immediately think about the grisly murders that took place there.
With the new series, Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story now streaming on Netflix, I was instantly reminded of my 2024 visit to the house, where in August, 1892, businessman Andrew Borden and his wife Abby were brutally murdered by multiple blows to their heads with a hatchet.
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The house now operates as a B&B and guests can even stay in the upstairs bedroom where Abby, the stepmother, was killed first before Andrew was attacked while taking a nap on a couch in the parlor. They had two daughters, Lizzie and Emma, along with a maid, Bridget Sullivan.
Lizzie was the only one inside the house at the time of Abby’s murder; Bridget was outside washing windows and Emma was away. While Lizzie was accused and acquitted, there are still plenty of theories floating around about who really killed the couple and the crime has never been solved.
The house is also thought to be extremely haunted—by spirits of both the victims as well as children from the next door neighbor’s house, who were reportedly drowned by their mother in a well. The property management offers paranormal night tours for those more interested in the ghosts than the murders.
Credit: courtesy Ghost Moms
Thankfully two of my closest friends, sisters Liz Beedle and Emily Penke, were willing to brave a night at the house with me. We’re known as the Ghost Moms on social media and regularly check out spooky places around the country.
Credit: courtesy Ghost Moms
After arriving at the house, we checked in for our daytime tour and were escorted around the property, hearing all the gruesome details from the day Andrew and Abby died. “Blood”-stained, sheet-covered mannequins have been placed for effect on the couch and bedroom floor demonstrating how each of their bodies were found.
In the dining room, there are also replica skulls on display showing all the hatchet strikes. (Their actual ones were brought to court for Lizzie’s trial after a doctor decapitated the bodies on the dining room table and boiled down the heads for evidence.)
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Though it was a weeknight, the house was fully booked with guests in each bedroom including the one where Abby died (no, thank you). We were given the maid Bridget’s bedroom in the attic, which is believed to actually be the most haunted floor.
Guests have heard children’s laughter and giggles and spotted marbles rolling and coat hangers jostling. Even a rocker in the corner was moved bedside during the night and seen rocking by itself by former guests.
Credit: courtesy Ghost Moms
We came back from dinner around 10 p.m. and were surprised to see many of the overnight guests gathered around Andrew’s couch in the parlor. They were all curious about the paranormal as well and were game to join us as we checked out the rest of the house.
Related: We Tried It: I Spent a Spooky Night Aboard the Queen Mary — One of the Most Haunted Hotels in America
In the room where Abby died, we set up a trip wire of sorts that is triggered by changes in electromagnetic energy. We asked some questions and it was relatively quiet until Emily wanted to know if anything minded that we were there. The lights immediately flashed.
Credit: courtesy Ghost Moms
We then all heard what sounded like a man’s gasp from out in the hallway. The house was empty except for those of us in the room.
We also set up camp in Bridget’s room, which is now filled with toys for the spirits of the kids. We asked if anything wanted to sing a song or play with us and a piece of equipment that has a database of words spit out “Hide and Seek.”
Credit: courtesy Ghost Moms
Even in the quieter moments, when we would relax just a bit, as soon as we questioned if anyone was still with us, the lights on the EMF trip wire would flash.
After we said goodnight to our fellow guests, I set up a cot next to Emily and Liz’s bed in the attic and we put out a few motion detectors. We were almost asleep when the one closest to the toy chest was triggered.
Faster than you can say “Lizzie Borden took an axe,” I went from under the covers on the cot to completely snuggling between my friends on the bed. You would think we’d be used to jump scares by now, but nothing ever prepares you, especially in the dark. Or at 3 a.m.
The next day, we said goodbye to a few of our new friends as the crew came in to clean and prepare for the next fully-booked round of overnights. Our lasting impression? The home is most definitely spooky and just might have a few spirits still hanging around, perhaps trying to solve the mystery of exactly what happened there.
Either way, the intrigue is sure to keep guests like us returning for more.
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