Welcome to 40 Whacks Museum
WE ARE NOW OPEN FOR 2009 SEASON!
"40 Whacks Museum" is a 3,000 square foot museum in Salem, Massachusetts devoted to telling the the story of Lizzie Borden, a 32 year old spinster arrested and tried for the brutal axe murders of her father and step mother on August 4th, 1892 in Fall River, Massachusetts.So many of the books and television documentaries produced since the murders have put their own spin on the case, overlooking known facts that do not support their conclusion and even inventing characters and evidence to try and solve the case.
Through enlarged photos and recreations of the trial room and grave site and reproductions of the handleless hatchet and skulls of the murder victims, The 40 Whacks Museum strives to present only the facts of the event as derived from the testimony of the witnesses at the trial, and to let the viewer make their own conclusions.
The sections of the exhibit present what is was like in Fall River MA, during the Victorian era and short biographies on each of the key players in the story. The day of the murders and the trial that followed are covered in detail with a room devoted to the crime scene and whether modern forensic science could have solved the case. The museum concludes with what happened to Lizzie after the trial through her death and to what Fall River is like today.
Join us for a fascinating look at this 117 year old murder mystery and see if you can finally answer the age old question, "Did she, or didn't she?"