#lizzie borden took an axe

[amethystteeth]

Bruto! Took an Axe

[whimsyswastry]

While in Massachusetts on a vacation, my family decided to go to the Lizzie Borden House ghost tour. At that time (early 00s) you could stay the night in the house.

Dad's response, "Boy, I bet that costs an arm and leg."

The best part was he was being 100% genuine and I wheezing with laughter.

For a research project!

If yes, please add in tags how you heard about her

[faeriedustdiary]

lizzy borden took an axe ₊˚⊹♡

[ceruleanvulpine]

lizzie borden took an axe/and gave her mother forty whacks/all the rest got forty-one/except for february, the tricky one

[belladonnamoonundead]

Lizzie borden took an axe she gave her mother forty wacks when she saw what she had done she gave her father forty one

[holycatsandrabbits]

Hey, y’all, it’s Weird Wednesday! Where on some Wednesdays, I blog about weird stuff and give writing prompts.

Today: Lizzie Borden: An Imperfect Crime

Welcome to Weird Wednesday! Today we’re visiting 1892 Fall River, Massachusetts. It’s a hot August day, and the house beside us is about to go from inconspicuous to infamous.

I have actually been to Lizzie Borden’s house. It’s a bed and breakfast now. I stayed a night with my oldest kiddo, then 15, with myself in Lizzie’s room, and kiddo in Lizzie’s sister Emma’s room. Neither of us were brave enough to sleep in the murder room.

(Side note: we happened to be there when Buzzfeed Unsolved was filming their Lizzie Borden episode, so if you hear people tromping through the house in the background, that’s probably us!)

You may know the poem: Lizzie Borden took an ax / Gave her mother forty whacks / When she saw what she had done / She gave her father forty-one. Turns out almost none of that is actually true. So let’s take a look at what really happened.

Lizzie Borden was 32 years old when her father and stepmother were brutally murdered in their own home. On the morning of Aug 4, 1892, there were three people in the house: Lizzie, her stepmother Abby, and the maid, Bridget Sullivan. Bridget spent the morning outside, cleaning windows, while Lizzie was inside. Abby spent the morning getting murdered.

At some point, someone beat Abby with an axe until she died face-down on the floor of the upstairs guest bedroom (18 whacks, not 40). Later in the morning, Lizzie’s father Andrew came home and took a nap on the sofa in the front room. A short while afterward, Lizzie screamed, saying she’d found him beaten to death with an axe (11 whacks).

Here’s where it gets complicated, and why the case is still so famous. There are some very hard things to explain if Lizzie was not the murderer—and equally hard things to explain if she was. I’ll give you some of the run-down we got at the B&B.

Plus writing prompts! Such as:

Constant replay. A residual haunting is one where the ghosts aren’t really “present,” but reenact their terrible deaths over and over like a video on replay. A residual haunting might provide a way to solve a murder mystery, because the killer might be visible, carrying out the awful deed. What if a detective (psychic or otherwise) becomes obsessed with a residual haunting where they can almost but not quite identify the killer? Perhaps they can see a bloody figure with an ax, but never a clear view of the face. Where would their obsession lead them? What if they were willing to try anything, no matter how ill-advised, to make that haunting clearer?

DannyeChase.com ~ AO3 ~ Linktree ~ Weird Wednesday writing prompts blog ~ Resources for Writers

Image credit: The Historic Lizzie Borden House Bed & Breakfast, photo by Dannye

[myhauntedsalem]

The Lizzie Borden House

“Lizzie Borden took an axe, And gave her mother forty whacks, When she saw what she had done, She gave her father forty-one.”

The grisly poem above was inspired by one of the most famous cases of murder to ever occur on U.S. soil. The Lizzie Borden murders captivated the entire country during the late 19th century and continues to inspire ghost stories and tales of paranormal activity by anyone who dares to enter the home of Lizzie Borden.

It’s not surprising that reports of haunted activity and paranormal occurrences have been whispered about at the Lizzie Borden House for quite some time. The violent and emotional nature of the tragic events that transpired there have been forever burned into it’s walls and the memories of residents in Fall River, Massachusetts.

The haunted history of The Lizzie Borden House begins on a Thursday afternoon during the year of 1892. Lizzie Borden was the daughter of Andrew Jackson Borden, who was a wealthy and influential citizen of Fall River. He was not particularly friendly to people, but took his business matters seriously. He was the board director for several banks in the local area and had his hand in commercial real estate as well.

His choice for a home wasn’t very impressive when compared to homes of other men of his stature. Lizzie Borden had openly expressed her desire to move into a better area and a bigger, more beautiful home. Andrew Borden would have no part of this and being the penny pinching type of fellow that he was, preferred the lesser expensive home that was close to his business dealings. Many have attributed the sense of entitlement that Lizzie felt as one of the factors that Lizzie Borden began to put a strain on her relationship with her father and his second wife, Abby. The relationship between Lizzie and her stepmother wasn’t particularly great either.

Nobody would ever have guessed that Lizzie Borden, a Sunday school teacher and well known member of the community would have been responsible for what would happen that day.

Sometime before noon, as Andrew Borden napped on the couch, he was attacked by someone wielding an axe. He was struck repeatedly until he was dead. The body was hacked to the point that it was unrecognizable by most. Little did he know as he laid down for his nap that his wife Abby was already dead on the floor above, her blood seeping through the cracks of the wooden floor. She had been attacked with the same axe. The position of her body when found suggested that she was kneeling down beside the bed when the gruesome attack occurred. Some say she was praying, others say that she was simply making the bed. Either way, Abby Borden didn’t have a chance when her murderer entered the room, filled with rage and armed with an axe.

The news traveled fast in those times and sinister acts such as these were practically unheard of. Lizzie Borden was arrested for the murders although she maintained her innocence. The trial made headlines nationwide as the world became fascinated with the Sunday school teacher that had hacked her parents to death. Eventually, Lizzie Borden was found innocent of the crimes by the courts.

Some of the local townsfolk however, had a different opinion. Lizzie Borden was somewhat of an outcast from the community and forever marked as a murderer. This didn’t bother Lizzie very much as she immediately purchased a grand home on the hill along with her sister who had always been equally unhappy with the home that Andrew Borden had chosen for them. They named the home “Maplecroft”. Lizzie lived in the home until her death at age 67. She was buried alongside the graves her father and stepmother in Fall River’s Oak Grove Cemetery.

Over one hundred years later, The Borden House has been turned into the Lizzie Borden Bed & Breakfast. Many patrons of the inn have reported various accounts of ghostly activity within the house. The most popular room and reportedly the most haunted is the room in which Abby Borden was hacked to death. People have witnessed a woman in 19th century clothing making the bed. Disembodied voices have been heard coming from empty rooms and echoing through the house. Footsteps that belong to no one are also a common experience inside The Lizzie Borden House.

Perhaps the most spooky reports are that of a woman heard crying throughout the home. Is it the sobbing spirit of Lizzie Borden, riddled with guilt for the slaying of her parents? Or perhaps the spirit of Abby Borden whose life was cut short by the edge of an axe? Either way, The Lizzie Borden House will forever remain one of the most interesting and allegedly haunted places in America. If you are ever in Massachusetts, You can always reserve the most special room at the Lizzie Borden Bed & Breakfast and test the local legends for yourself.

[obsessingoverl]

Lizzie Borden took an axe.

Gave her mother 40 wacks.

When she saw what she had done.

Gave her father 41.

Respectable

[not100bees]

Wait, hold on. Are there other versions of the poem? Because I've always heard it

Lizzie Borden took an ax

Gave her father 40 whacks

When the job was neatly done

She gave her mother 41

Is that not the main version?

[cutepastelstarsalior]

Thinking about the Bleacher Creatures from Clone High…..God I wish that concept was explored more. I wish the background clones were explored more.

Like fun fact; Lizzie Borden(the girl with the ax) is base off the serial killer who killed her family and die from pneumonia. But she also a nursery rhymes/jump rope rhyme.

Lizzie Borden took an axe

She gave her mother forty whacks,

After she saw what she had done,

She gave her father forty-one.

Lizzie Borden got away,

For her crime she did not pay

Or like Vlad the impaler’s name is a patronym. And that what is base off Brian Stroker’s Dracula. ALSO YOU KNOW HOW IN SOME SHOWS THEY HAVE BEHEADED GUYS ON A STICK???? That’s Vlads most popular way to kill babyyyy!!!!!!! Also also also his last name either names son or Dracul or dragon.

Or Ivan the terrible! He was the first Russian Tsar, and his nickname, terrible, is a mistranslation! Terrible wasn’t use to mean something was bad, but as some admirable or fearsome.

Ahsjshwusbsaisha saisbsjaaoans I love history and I think it would be cool if clone high add more clever jokes about the clones or some neat little historical facts.

[redladydeath]

Lizzie Borden took an axe

Gave her mother SIIIIX-ty whacks

[haveyoureadthishorrorbookpoll]

Have you read...

note: If you did not finish but feel you read enough to form an opinion, you may choose a ‘Yes’ option instead of 'Partly' (e.g., Yes, I didn’t like it). Interpret "neutral or complicated" however you like, I intended this category to be a broad option between like and dislike.

Lizzie Borden took an axe and gave her mother forty whacks; and when she saw what she had done, she gave her father forty-one....   The people of Fall River, Massachusetts, fear me. Perhaps rightfully so. I remain a suspect in the brutal deaths of my father and his second wife despite the verdict of innocence at my trial. With our inheritance, my sister, Emma, and I have taken up residence in Maplecroft, a mansion near the sea and far from gossip and scrutiny.   But it is not far enough from the affliction that possessed my parents. Their characters, their very souls, were consumed from within by something that left malevolent entities in their place. It originates from the ocean’s depths, plaguing the populace with tides of nightmares and madness.   This evil cannot hide from me. No matter what guise it assumes, I will be waiting for it. With an axe.

submit a horror

[thepastisapebbleinmyshoe]

The legend of Fall River, Lizzie Borden took an axe, gave her Mother 40 whacks, when she saw what she'd done, she gave her sleeping father 41. Little is known of the Irish maid, who lived on the rest of her days, in mid-western seclusion, cared for, a benefactor of the Borden estate. Will you be my Bridget Sullivan, a committed lover, going down, for the sociopath of the century? I swear to love you, to the end, my dear, foolish Bridget Sullivan. To believe such a thing, as I sit, happily in Maplecroft, Fall River's, most despised and feared resident. Even, my sister walked out, she left, children pass me on the street, asking, why I look so sad, perhaps, a lost lover? No, that's not the reason, they whisper, "She wasn't very kind to her Mother".

Dear, Bridget Sullivan.

[somediyprojects]

Lizzie Borden stitched by nitebyrds. Pattern ($14.50) designed by ThePrimitiveHare.

“Another stash finished! Pattern by The Primitive Hare - Lizzie Borden Took an Axe ...”

[thexnormalxstuff]

"Lizzie Borden took an axe

And gave her mother forty whacks.

When she saw what she had done

She gave her father forty-one."

Lizzie Andrew Borden (July 19, 1860 – June 1, 1927) was an American woman who was tried and acquitted in the 1892 axe murders of her father and stepmother in Fall River, Massachusetts. The case was a cause célèbre throughout the United States. Following her release from the prison in which she had been held during the trial, Borden chose to remain a resident of Fall River, Massachusetts, for the rest of her life, despite facing significant ostracism. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts elected to charge no one else with the murder of Andrew and Abby Borden; speculation about the crimes still continues more than 100 years later

[missmcspooks]

My Personal Haunted and True Crime Destinations Bucket List

Over the years there’s been more and more spooky places where I’ve really wanted to visit, and I intend to someday make it to at least a small chunk of these places. On this list are my top 12 destinations that I would highly recommend to any horror and true crime lovers. 

One: Salem, Massachusetts: 

Everyone knows about the Salem Witch trials, where 19 innocent people were accused of witchcraft and wrongfully executed. But there’s more history to Salem than just the unfortunate murders. Here you can visit the Cursed House of The Seven Gables, the Gardner-Pingree House, The Witch House where all the pre-trial court hearings would take place to determine executions, the Salem Witch Museum, Proctors Ledge which is the site where the lynchings were carried out, and the Rebecca Nurse Homestead which is the only standing home of someone who was executed in the trials. Additionally you’ll be able to walk through the creepy Salem Woods at night, visit two of the cemeteries known as Charter Street Cemetery, and The Pickman House Cemetery, along with visiting the Witch Trials Memorial. Last but not least you’ll be able to read all of the 511 original documents from the Witch Trials, which consist of letters, trial transcripts, and court orders. There’s also tons of shops, places to eat, and other fun things to check out, such as but not limited to: The Satanic Temple, Salem Willows Arcade, Count Orlok's Nightmare Gallery, Black Veil Shoppe of Drear & Wonder, Bewitched After Dark Tour, Crow Haven Corner (which is a witchcraft store), the Hocus Pocus Tour, Salem Witch Board Museum (which shows tons of Ouija Boards, and you learn about their history, and you’ll even be able to use one yourself in the Seance Room), the New England Pirate Museum, and much much more! I’d recommend going around October for the extra spooks and fun costumes, but this place is amazing all year-round. 

Two: The Viscilla Axe Murder House (located in Viscilla, Iowa)

This home is where a gruesome murder of eight people, six of them being children, took place on the night of June 9th, 1912. Six members of the Moore family and two guests were never given justice, as this case remains unsolved. The Viscilla Home offers daytime tours which costs only $10 per person, or $5 if you’re a senior. But if anyone is like me, you’d want to take part in the overnight stay, where people have claimed that the house is definitely haunted. The overnight stays begin at 4:00PM, where they will start off by giving a walk-through tour of the home. After that, they give you the key to the home, and you’ll need to leave the key in a predetermined area before you leave the next morning around 9:30AM. You’ll need to book the stay in advance, and it costs $428 (includes sales tax) for up to 1-6 people. You can have parties of up to 10 people, but it would be an extra $75 per extra person. It’s recommended to keep the parties small, between 2-6 people since the home is quite small. 

Three: The Lizzie Borden House (A Bed and Breakfast and Museum)(Located in Fall River Massachusetts)

The Lizzie Borden Home is one of history's biggest unsolved murder cases. The murders took place on August 4th, 1892, where her father and step-mother were both brutally axed to death. No one was in the home besides Lizzie and the maid, and Lizzie was tried but later acquitted of the murders. No one else has ever been charged. You can simply request to book individual rooms, which costs $250 per night for two people, and an additional $75 for an extra person, or you can go the much more expensive route and book the entire home. You can reserve for up to 20 people, as theirs a total of eight beds in six rooms. You can book the home non-exclusively, which means you can’t have the whole house to yourself in areas where tours are being held during touring hours. With this package you can get breakfast for your whole group, and even a Lily Doll or a Lizzie Borden Axe of your choice. If you book the whole house EXCLUSIVELY it’ll cost an additional $15,000, or $2,000 in October. With this package you’ll receive a Lily doll on your pillow, any combination of souvenirs placed in each room in advance, romance package for any room, and projectors for viewing Netflix, Amazon Prime, Youtube, or to connect to your phone. ADDITIONALLY, there’s more to this home than just simply staying in the bed and breakfast. There’s also the House Tour you could take, which is 90 minutes long and offered daily from 10:00AM and 4:00PM, and costs $25. You could add on an additional tour of the basement, which is where it’s believed they found the murder weapon, and is apparently the most haunted area in the home, for an additional $6. In this tour you’ll be taken throughout the home and learn about its history, and where each person lived in the home and learn about their daily routine, along with spooky stories from visitors who claim that the house is indeed haunted. There’s also a Fall River Ghost Tour, which is 90 minutes long, and is offered nightly from 7:00PM-9:00PM, and costs $25. This is an outdoor tour, where it’ll focus on the history and hauntings of other places in Fall River. There’s also a Ghost Hunt available, where a group of 13 people will split up into two groups to try and solve the mystery of the murders. This will take place on the first floor and in the basement, but you’ll need to bring your own ghost hunting equipment to share with the others. This is around 2 hours and takes place nightly between 10:00PM and midnight, and costs $35. LASTLY, you can even get MARRIED here! How amazing. 

Four: The Sallie House (Located in Atchison, Kansas)

The Sallie House is believed to be haunted by a young girl who died there. According to the legends, the child was brought to Dr. Finney’s home for severe abdominal pain. Dr. Finney assumed she had appendicitis and believed her appendix was about to rupture, and began emergency surgery on her. However, he cut into her body before the anesthesia kicked in, which resulted in her death. Several people who had formerly lived in the home claimed the home to be extremely haunted. Most of these claims came from men, who had reported being scratched until they bled, which resulted in Sallie being labeled as “The Man Hating Ghost.” To stay at home overnight, you must book it in advance. You must be there by 4:00PM to sign a waiver, and then the walk-through tour of the home will begin. The fee is $100 per person, and you’re allowed to have up to four people in your group. 

Five: The Whaley House (Located in San Diego, California)

Shortly after the Whaley family moved into this home, they claimed to have heard heavy footsteps throughout the house, which they believed to be the ghost of James “Yankee Jim” Robinson, who had previously been hanged on the property for stealing a boat. There have been reports from visitors claiming to see apparitions of Thomas and Anna Whaley, and hearing strange noises, along with the heavy footsteps. You can book a Whaley Day & Evening Tour Package which starts from $28. The daytime self guided tour is a self-paced tour through the interior and surrounding grounds of the house, and you’ll see and hear about the history that makes this house such a legacy. The evening tour is around 30-40 minutes long, in which you’ll be guided through the house, and listen to the tales of the spirits from the past, and maybe even experience something paranormal yourself. You could also book The Whaley After Hours Paranormal Investigation Tour, which starts from $94. You’ll be able to participate in an actual paranormal investigation with an experienced guide, use the latest ghost hunting equipment, and learn about the darker side of the Whaley House and about the spirits who refused to move on. You can have a maximum of eight people in your group. 

Six: The Keddie Cabin Resort (Located in Keddie, California)

You can rent a cabin from someone for $20. The Keddie Murders are one of the most notorious unsolved mysteries, where three people were found brutally killed inside of the cabin, and later found the last victims remains. Even though the cabin in which the murders took place has been demolished, you can still walk around the resort and go to the area where the cabin used to stand. If you’d like to know more about this case, I wrote an article about it here: 

Seven: The Winchester Mystery House (Located in San Jose, California)

To keep this explanation short and sweet, Sarah Winchester was told by a spiritualist that the spirits inside of her haunted home had placed a curse on her, and that if she wanted to keep living she must appease to the spirits by moving out west, and constantly, without stopping, build a house for them night and day. In other words, she must continue adding to the home, no matter what it is, in order to stay alive. By the time she passed away in 1922, the house had 160 rooms, including 40 bedrooms, 40 staircases, 13 bathrooms, 6 kitchens, 10,000 window panes, 2,000 doors, 52 skylights, 47 fireplaces, three elevators, two basements, and one shower. You can book tickets to the Walk With Spirits Tour, where you will walk through the home and explore the paranormal as explained through the Spiritualism movement. This is a summer tour and starts daily on July 7th. The tour lasts an hour and costs $41.99 for adults, $34.99 for seniors, and $19.99 for children ages 5-12. 

Eight: The Bell Witch Cave (Located in Adams, Tennessee)

The Bell Witch Cave is located near where the Bell Farm once stood. The cave is 490 ft long, and is privately owned, but you can book tickets for a tour during the summer months and during October. The Bell family claimed that the cave is haunted by an entity which they call “The Bell Witch.” Legend states that a young girl named Betsy Bell and her friends went exploring in the cave, and one of the boys went crawling inside a hole and became stuck. The boy cried out for help and suddenly everyone heard a girl's voice saying “I’ll get him out!” Moments later the boy felt a grasp on his feet and was pulled out of the hole. Then the entity gave the children a lecture on reckless cave exploring. Admission costs $19 Wed-Thu for adults (13+) and $23 Fri-Sun, $12 for ages 4-12 Wed-Thu and $15 Fri-Sun, and $17 for military/seniors Wed-Thu and $19 Fri-Sun. The admission includes a guided tour of the cave that was owned by John Bell, where you’ll also see an ancient Indian burial site within the cave, along with other natural formations. Included in the admission is the tour of the hand-hewed log cabin which is a replica of the Bell Family home, and the interior looks exactly the way it did when the family lived there during the 1800’s. The cave tour is around 40 minutes long. 

Nine: The Museum of Death: (Located in both New Orleans, Louisiana, and Los Angeles, California)

This is definitely a museum that all true crime fans need to visit! Keep in mind however, that this museum isn’t for the faint of heart. There’s no age restriction but caution and consideration of young visitors is urged. A few things that you’ll see in this museum are letters from serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer, and letters from Ted Kaczynski (The Unabomber). You’ll also see paintings from serial killer John Wayne Gacy, memorabilia from the O.J. Simpson trial (along with hair taken from the crime scene), Manson Family photographs, and one of Dr. Kevorkian’s suicide machines, along with the business cards from Jack Ruby. There’s also videos to watch of deaths that have occurred, and the videos are not being reenacted, they’re 100% real. Additionally, there’s exhibits on cannibalism, terrorism, embalming, and even an exhibit with a lot of shrunken heads. Admission costs $15 per person.

Ten: Alcatraz East Crime Museum (Located in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee)

The exhibits here include “A Notorious History of American Crime,” which features the evolution of crime and criminals, ranging from pirates and gunslingers from the Old West, to today's white collar criminals. This exhibit also displays getaway cars including the Bronco from the O.J. Simpson case. “Punishment: The Consequences of Crime,” which includes police lineups, mugshots, lie detector tests, and experiencing how it feels to be behind bars. “Crime Scene Investigation,” where you’ll learn how to solve crime through using forensic science, such as ballistics, blood analysis, facial reconstruction, DNA, as well as fingerprinting. The exhibit “Crime Fighting” will discuss local police officers, famous lawmen such as Buford Pusser and Eliot Ness, and federal agencies like the FBI. Lastly there’s “Counterfeit Crimes & Pop Culture,” which discusses illegal trafficking and sales of counterfeit items, which includes electronics and medications that could affect your health along with your families health. Additionally, there is a temporary exhibit called “Dear Inmate: Prison Pen Pals,” which will display tons of letters that were sent to serial killers from their fans or women who were utterly obsessed with these men. These letters include Richard Ramirez and Ted Bundy. This exhibit is open until April 14th, 2023. Admission costs $28.95 for adults (13-60), $21.95 for seniors (61+), $14.95 for children (8-12), and $19.95 for Law/Military and Sevier County (tickets must be purchased at the door to get a discount).

Eleven: The Mob Museum (Located in Las Vegas, Nevada)

This super interesting museum has four floors to explore. In the basement you’ll find exhibits such as: The Speakeasy, The Distillery, and The Path To Prohibition. On the first floor you’ll find: 100 Years of Made Men, Bringing Down The Mob, The Crime Lab, The Firearm Training Simulator, Global Networks Touch Wall, Use of Force, Rise of The Cartels: International Drug Trafficking In The America's, and Organized Crime Today. The second floor provides exhibits: Kefauver Hearings, Historic Courtroom, Open City, Skim Room, Las Vegas Goes Straight, Spinning A Deadly Web, and Mob's Greatest Hits. Lastly, the third floor consists of: Birth of The Mob, Crime Gets Organized, A Tough Little Town, Prohibition, St. Valentine’s Day Massacre Wall, Massacre Evidence, The Feds Fight Back, Follow The Money, and The Tentacles Spread. This Museum also offers multiple kinds of Moonshine to bring home if you visit The Underground in the basement. There you’ll also be able to go to the bar and order a plethora of cocktails, beers, wines, food, dessert, and even have a Whiskey Tasting. General admission costs: $29.95 which includes all exhibits. The Deluxe Pass costs $44.95 which includes all exhibits and one interactive experience. Lastly, the Premier Pass costs $48.95, which includes all exhibits PLUS two interactive experiences. 

Twelve: Ripley’s Believe it or Not Museum

The one I'm specifically interested in is located in Wisconsin. Of course we all know that this museum is filled with strange and interesting things, but why am I specifically interested in visiting this one? Well, it’s because of the severed and preserved head of Peter Kurten, who was a German serial killer also known as “The Vampire of Dusseldorf.” He committed a series of murders and sexual assaults between the months of February and November in 1929. He was called a vampire due to the attempts he made to drink the blood out of his victims wounds. He was executed at age 48 in 1931 by beheading. Before his head was placed on the guillotine, he asked the psychiatrist: “Tell me… after my head is chopped off, will I still be able to hear, at least for a moment, the sound of my own blood gushing from the stump of my neck? That would be the pleasure to end all pleasures.” Admission costs $21.99 for ages 10+, and $15.99 for ages 3-9.