House Lust: Lizzie Borden’s Maplecroft Mansion is on the Market

Would you live in a house owned by the infamous Borden sisters?

Don’t worry: It’s not the place where all the axe-murdering happened. It’s the mansion Lizzie Borden — she went by Lisbeth, by then — and her sister, Emma, purchased a year after the grisly deaths of their father and stepmother. Lizzie was tried and acquitted of the 1892 murders but remained the main suspect.

I’m in no way condoning murder in the name of House Lust, but Maplecroft is to die for by any standard — particularly when you compare it to the home Lizzie shared with her sister, father and stepmother. Despite his fortune, Lizzie’s father refused to install electricity or indoor plumbing. Lizzie and Emma spent a portion of their $300,000 inheritance — some $8.6 million in modern currency — on Maplecroft, where Lizzie lived until her death in 1927 at age sixty-six.

“When you first walk in the front foyer and you see the grand entrance with the oak staircase and the beautiful fireplace, it really takes your breath away. It’s just so beautiful,” says listing agent Suzanne St. John. “It’s the grandeur Lizzie always wanted.”

In 2017, Maplecroft was purchased by the family that operates the Lizzie Borden Bed and Breakfast and Museum out of the house where the murders took place. They hoped to transform Maplecroft into a bed and breakfast as well, but the pandemic coupled with a family member’s cross-country move made the work all but impossible.

And so Maplecroft is back on the market — though it likely won’t last long. St. John says she’s fielded queries from several interested parties since she listed the home late last month, including a couple with paranormal proclivities. St. John adds succinctly: “When do you ever get a chance to own a place like this?”

Here’s your House Lust: