Located on 92nd street in the community of River Fall Rhode Island resides the house of Andrew J. Borden. In 1892, the murders of Andrew and his wife, Abby Borden, became an American controversy for the latter half of the nineteenth century. Lizzie Borden, Andrew’s daughter, became the prime suspect. Acquitted in 1893, Lizzie Borden moved to a new location, but remained ostracized by the public.

On August 4, 1892, around 11 a.m., Bridget Sullivan, the Borden’s maid, heard Lizzie calling out that someone had killed her father. To her discovery, she found Andrew Borden dead slumped over on a couch in the downstairs living room. Soon after, Abby Borden’s body was found in the upstairs guest bedroom. Both were killed by a hatchet like weapon.

Prosecution was hampered by the introduction of new science. River Falls police department did not place credence in new forensic technology or use of fingerprinting techniques. Neither blood evidence nor a murder weapon was ever found. Lizzie Borden was acquitted on June 20, 1893.

Today, the house is renamed ‘Lizzie Borden Bed and Breakfast’. The home has been restored to its original Victorian accommodations. Guests are treated with the same breakfast that Andrew and Abby has the morning of their murders. Also, a wing of the house is a museum displaying many artifacts from the trial and murder of 1892.

Researched and written by University of West Florida History student Jason Merritt.