After Andrew and Abby Borden were murdered in their Fall River, Mass. home in 1892, the property was eventually converted to a bed-and-breakfast that's still in operation If the owners of the Villisca Ax Murder House have similar plans, they might consider changing the name to something more inviting. Then again, maybe a murder-themed B&B could be a big draw for people with a little morbid curiosity, but they'd need to have strong stomachs; the crime that took place at the house was so horrific that it changed the house forever.
On the evening of June 9, 1912, Josiah Moore, his wife Sarah and their four children left their home to attend a function at a local Presbyterian church. The family had also invited Lena and Ina Stillinger, friends of the Moore family children, to spend the night at the Moore house following the event. After the family and their guests returned home and turned in for the night, an intruder -- or perhaps a group of them -- entered the house and used Josiah Moore's axe to crush the skulls of every person in the house while they slept. The next morning, a neighbor noticed that the Moore residence was suspiciously quiet. By noon, the entire town was paralyzed by fear. Because no one was ever convicted of the murders, suspicion dogged some of the town's residents for years.
Today, the home is open for tours and overnight visits, though visitors shouldn't be surprised by uninvited guests. Numerous psychics have studied the house and declared the property haunted by the victims of the murder, and strange phenomenon like falling lamps, flying objects and mysterious voices are supposedly common. Although reports of hauntings have increased greatly since the home was restored recently to its former appearance, they stretch back to the time of the murders themselves.
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