Lizzie Borden house becomes bed-and-breakfast, boosts local tourism revenue

The house on 7‑9‑13 Borden Street in Fall River, Massachusetts, where Lizzie Borden’s father and stepmother were found hacked to death in 1892, is now a bed‑and‑breakfast that offers guests a front‑row seat to one of America’s most famous unsolved crimes. The former Borden family home, preserved in its Victorian style, has been converted into a boutique lodging that markets its macabre history as a unique selling point.

Lizzie Borden was tried and acquitted in 1893 after a sensational trial that captivated the nation. The case remains a touchstone of American folklore, spawning books, films and endless speculation about the identity of the killer. The house itself survived the fire that destroyed much of Fall River’s historic district in 1904, and it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. In the early 2000s the property was purchased by a local entrepreneur who restored its original woodwork and added modern amenities while keeping the 1892 layout intact. The B&B now offers six rooms, a dining room that doubles as a gallery of period artifacts, and guided tours that explain the house’s role in the case.

The B&B’s opening has boosted local tourism, with visitors flocking for a chance to stay in the same rooms where a notorious crime took place. City officials say the venture has generated new revenue for the downtown area, and the owners have pledged to support a nearby museum that plans to add a permanent exhibit on the Borden trial. In 2026, the B&B will celebrate the 134th anniversary of the murders with a week‑long series of events, including a lecture by a forensic historian and a reenactment of the 1893 courtroom drama. The project has sparked debate among historians who worry about commercializing a tragic event, but most residents welcome the attention as a way to preserve the town’s heritage while stimulating the economy.