From 1872 to 1892, the house was the property of Andrew Borden, Lizzie's father, who was a bank president and a member of Fall River high society. After buying the house, Andrew Borden altered it so that instead of it being two apartments it would become one home for him and his family. However, even after the remodeling, he still refused to install the newest technologies like indoor plumbing and electricity. This house was considered middle class and was unusual for someone of his status to live in. Andrew Borden purchased it due to its proximity to his business on Main Street. He moved his four-person family (his wife, Abby, and his two daughters, Emma and Lizzie) into the home, as well as one maid who lived in the attic (Bridgett).
1990s - present It has operated as a bed and breakfast since 1996 under the ownership of Martha McGinn and Ronald Evans, who inherited the house. Martha's grandparents purchased the house on August 4, 1948. According to Martha McGinn, the room where Lizzie's stepmother, Abby Borden, was found murdered was the most requested room of the bedrooms at the bed and breakfast. The
Fall River Historical Society promotes the Lizzie Borden Bed and Breakfast as a tourist attraction. Donald Woods and Lee-Ann Wilbers then bought the house and kept it open for ninety-minute tours and bookings in 2004. Tour guides were only allowed to talk about the facts of the case and nothing else, but an Ouija board was available for use. Many of the murder paraphernalia were put into the house during this time, including a mannequin in the guest room where Abby Borden was killed and autopsy photographs on the dining room table. Memorabilia from media inspired by the murder case were put into the house, such as photographs of actresses from the movie
The Legend of Lizzie Borden. It is not known when they were installed, but bathrooms were eventually installed on the premises. self-proclaimed "medium" Maureen Wood and self-proclaimed "paranormal scientist" Ron Kolek describe experiencing ghostly events in the house. However, paranormal investigator
Joe Nickell reports that these claims are based upon either unverifiable personal feelings of a ghostly presence or the use of well-known and well-understood techniques like
table-tipping that, like
Ouija board and
dowsing rod effects, involve the
ideomotor effect rather than the presence of a ghostly spirit. As the owner of the tour company
US Ghost Adventures, his goals are to introduce two ghost tours (one ninety minutes and the other two hours) as well as keep the historical tours going. He also plans to implement "[...] a podcast, virtual experiences, themed dinners, bedtime ghost tours of Fall River, murder mystery nights", a wedding venue, and add a sixth bedroom to the property. Despite all this, Zaal has tried to keep the house "as is" with original furnishings, duplicated decor, and original hardware. A July 2021 article in
Smithsonian Magazine indicated that he was planning to replace the iron stove with a more modern one, due to the risk it posed to residents. Zaal stays on the property like Wilber to keep an eye on the house. ==In popular culture==