Ghosts have pretty much been a year round phenomenon at #92 but never more so than the month of October when the Borden house is packed to the rafters every weekend with people toting EVP capturing machines, magnetic field detectors, thermographs, night vision cameras, and other high priced gizmos for capturing the perfect orb, groan, sigh, shadow- anything out of the ordinary.  There is a seance on Saturday night in the sittingroom in front of the black sofa, with hopeful participants waiting for a message or the levitating of a small round table used in the proceedings.  The guestbook is filled with comments of things both heard and seen by guests which run the gamut from ghostly encounters of the Third Kind to bumps and screams in the night.  All good fun- and nobody has ever been the worse for the experiences, real or imagined! 

Recently an August 4th guest has published the experiences of her visit with her boyfriend.  The couple had won an Ebay auction for the Morse guestroom, the most requested room where Mrs. Borden had been murdered. An account of Ms. Zorn’s visit has appeared on many blogs and sites including this one today http://greglefever.blogspot.com/2008/10/more-halloween-haunted-lizzie-borden.html.

The couple had enjoyed a quiet evening, including the usual tour of the house and had retired to their room afterward.  The rest of the guests were sitting in the parlor chatting and having coffee when two piercing screams were heard. After a time, the two screamers came downstairs declaring the light had been switched off overhead, a smaller lamp switched on, there was something “funny” about the mirror – and they both had decided to leave, suitcase in hand.  It was nearly midnight.  Another guest freely admitted to having turned off the overhead light and turning on the small lamp to conserve energy. An offer was made to cover the mirror.  All to no avail. The couple was convinced they had to go. They did, however return in broad daylight the following day for breakfast.  If you are determined to scare yourself to death at #92, you will probably succeed!

Guests visiting the bed and breakfast at #92 who stay in the Abby and Andrew Borden room get a thrill finding the hidden cat face and skull in the headboard.  The antique Renaissance Revival walnut bed with the high headboard features burled insets where these strange figures can be seen.  Most recently a guest spied a skull at the base of the cat face.  Can you spot it?

and the skull at the base of the cat face

This much-requested room receives a good many comments from overnight guests of meowing, “something jumping on the foot of the bed”, purring and other feline sounds.  The story goes that Lizzie may have killed Abby Borden’s  cat by decapitation or chloroform.  In any event, the stuffed kitty on the bed is said to move around in the night and has made such an impression, visitors now bring it toys.

Lizzie 101 UMASS tours the Borden cellar 

It was a mild evening for the trick or treaters.  The temps were in the low 60’s, a balmy breeze, with puffy white clouds scudding across a dark grey sky furnished the ideal backdrop to a perfect Halloween.  At Second Street the table in the diningroom (where once Mr. and Mrs. Borden were laid out on undertakers’ boards for two and a half days) was now the scene for a table decorated in festive holiday style.  Crows and bats, skulls and rats, cupcakes with mummy faces, popcorn balls and cookies, spider cakes and candy corn, cider and other treats awaited the ten guests planning to try to stay the whole night.

Vampires and cats, the Bride of Frankenstein and Frankie too called at the house as well as pirates, super heroes, witches, ghosties, and one very tired little 3 year old pumpkin dared to cross the threshold in search of treats.  It had been an exciting day with segments on both the Today Show and the Montel Williams Show about the Borden house.  Dr. Betty Mitchell also brought her class from the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth for a special tour of the house by author and historian, Leonard Rebello. The class was all freshman girls – with lots of questions to ask.  Dr. Mitchell teaches a class in “Lizzie 101” and is a well-respected authority often seen in documentaries about the case.

 Guests from Ohio, Vermont, Connecticut, Michigan, and New Jersey enjoyed a tour of the house at 8 p.m. followed by a midnight seance in the sitting room in front of the sofa where Mr. Borden met his untimely end.  Next to August 4th, the anniversary of the Borden crime, Halloween is the most popular time of year to come to visit the scene of the crime.