Maplecroft: The Fall River Home Where Lizzie Borden Lived Her Life After Acquittal

Far from the reclusive, ostracized figure depicted in much of popular culture, Lizzie Borden spent the 34 years following her acquittal for the 1892 murders of her parents living a robust life at Maplecroft. The current owners of the historic Fall River, Massachusetts, property argue that the mansion’s story contradicts the dramatic twists presented in Ryan Murphy’s Netflix anthology series Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story.

Borden used her substantial inheritance—equivalent to roughly $10 million today—to purchase the imposing seven-bedroom Queen Anne Victorian. Located just a mile from the home where Andrew and Abby Borden were killed, Maplecroft became her permanent residence until her death in 1927. While approximately 50,000 visitors annually flock to the former crime scene, now a museum and bed and breakfast, few venture up “The Hill” to see Borden’s actual home, which remains a private residence.

Brooke and Michael Doherty purchased the property in 2021. Brooke initially hesitated, admitting she did not want to live in the house of a hatchet murderer. However, the couple, who have three young children, were drawn back by the home’s architectural integrity. Features such as the grand and back staircases, six carved fireplaces, original crown molding, Tiffany sconces, and stained glass windows ultimately won them over. They acquired the home for $800,000 after previous plans to convert it into a bed and breakfast collapsed during the pandemic.

When Borden moved into Maplecroft in 1893, it was a stark upgrade from her childhood home. The mansion was modern for its time, featuring electricity, running hot and cold water, and flush toilets in all three-and-a-half bathrooms. Borden also owned one of Fall River’s first automobiles, a black Ford Model T she nicknamed the “Tin Lizzie.” She stored the vehicle in the carriage house, which now serves as Brooke Doherty’s art studio and retains a private gas pump and customized turntable.

Contrary to the narrative that Borden lived as a lonely outcast shunned by neighbors, she resided at Maplecroft with her sister Emma, nine years her senior, and their pets, including three Boston Bull Terriers and a black cat named Daisy. While townspeople remained skeptical of her innocence despite the jury’s verdict, Borden found camaraderie in the Massachusetts theater community. In 1904, she befriended famous starlet Nance O’Neil and became part of a social circle that disapproved of her rejection of rigid social norms, such as attending church or remaining in the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union.

Behind the home’s tall fence, Borden hosted lavish parties in the basement, which the Dohertys describe as resembling a speakeasy complete with a dance floor and floor-to-ceiling wainscoting. A latched panel conceals a hidden cupboard used to store whiskey bottles during the Prohibition era. These events caused a rift with Emma, who preferred discretion. After a particularly raucous week-long party in 1905, Emma left Maplecroft and cut ties with her sister, though the two died days apart in 1927 and were buried side by side.

The Dohertys view Borden’s will as further evidence of her character. She left most of her estate to the Fall River Animal Rescue League while gifting property, jewelry, and books to distant friends and family. Michael and Brooke Doherty assert that the craftsmanship, generosity, and spirit evident in the home prove Borden’s innocence. “The longer we live here,” Brooke said, “the more we’re convinced she didn’t do it.”