Lizzie Borden took an axe
Gave her mother 40 whacks
When she saw what she'd done
Gave her father 41
-- 19th Century children's rhyme
The New England coastal town of Fall River is synonymous with one of America's most famous unsolved crimes, which took place in 1892 when someone murdered Andrew and Abby Borden in their Massachusetts home. After the murders and an inquest, prosecutors -- including a future Supreme Court justice -- focused their sights on Lizzie Borden, Andrew's adult daughter and Abby's stepdaughter.
According to Time magazine, whoever killed Borden's parents struck her father 10 or 11 times with a hatchet or axe, and her mother, 19 times.
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Lizzie was eventually tried and acquitted but lived the rest of her life in infamy.
Now, fans of the macabre can stay at the murder scene, thanks to the property's new owners, U.S. Ghost Adventures, which does local walking tours with a paranormal spin in 15 cities. The local ghouls, according to a news release issued this week, have entered into a contract to buy the site.
"We have exciting plans for the house that we’ll announce in June," said Lance Zaal, who founded San Diego Ghosts. "A healthy transition for the staff and preserving the historical site are our top priorities."
The Fall River home will join the company's other 30-plus "ghost tour experiences across the United States."
There are six rooms available at the Borden property, which, in addition to operating as a bed-and-breakfast, is also open to the public as a museum and has been featured in a variety of TV shows over the years. According to Realtor.com, the house and accompanying buildings was listed at a cool $2 million -- "axe not included."
This may all sound familiar to fans of "Saturday Night Live," whose "Weekend Update" host Colin Jost mentioned the sale in a recent show.
"The house where Lizzie Borden murdered her parents has been sold for $2 million and will be turned into a bed-and-breakfast," Jost joked, "though a bed-and-breakfast where a murder happened is pretty much just a Days Inn."
