An Exclusive 'Kindred Spirits' Look Inside Lizzie Borden’s Maplecroft Home

Adam Berry and Amy Bruni are the first-ever paranormal investigators to enter Maplecroft, Lizzie Borden’s final residence.

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Lizzie Borden’s final residence, Maplecroft, was investigated for the first time by Kindred Spirits’ Adam Berry and Amy Bruni. Luckily for Amy and Adam, Lizzie (or "Lisbeth" as she preferred to be known later in life) was feeling open to having guests, making for one bone-chilling season finale.

"I think what shocked us the most is how chatty Lizzie, or 'Lisbeth', actually was," says Amy. “I don't think we've ever had such a long, in-depth conversation with a ghost.”

The opulent mansion in Fall River, Mass., looks quaint and peaceful on the outside, but the paranormal activity inflicting the home is growing more intense as the current owners look to open the property up to visitors. Employees have reported being physically attacked and hearing disembodied voices (the voice of Borden herself, maybe?). Borden, one of history’s most notorious women, hasn’t lived at Maplecroft for almost 100 years, and she’s clearly not ready to give up her home just yet.

Borden lived at Maplecroft for 34 years, having purchased the home after she was acquitted of her parents’ murders. She lived in the house with her sister, Emma, for 12 years, then alone until her death in 1927. She died there, though the exact location is unknown (fun fact: she had not one, but two bedrooms). Her wake even took place in the parlor, which Chip Coffey might have picked up on right away.

Before the premiere, we caught up with Amy and Adam to get the details on this exclusive investigation. We may never know for sure if Borden was a murderer (who else wishes walls could talk?) but there's a lot she's willing to share from beyond the grave.

Kindred Spirits is all-new this Thursday at 10|9c.

Adam Berry and Amy Bruni stand outside Maplecroft, the home Lizzie Borden bought after being acquitted of double murder.

Adam Berry and Amy Bruni stand outside Maplecroft, the home Lizzie Borden bought after being acquitted of double murder.

Question: You’re the first to investigate this house, which must be an incredible honor and experience. Walk us through how this investigation happened.

Adam: We are friends with the owners of Maplecroft who also own the Lizzie Borden House where the murder took place. They were concerned about the activity that was taking place at Maplecroft and wanted an in-depth investigation of the home before they allowed others to come in and stay and investigate. While people who work for them have had experiences Maplecroft and maybe looked around for ghosts, we are the first to ever to a full-scale investigation of the location.

Q: According to witnesses, the spirits at Maplecroft have gotten physical recently. Why do you think that is? Why do you think the paranormal activity overall has increased?

Adam: I believe one of the reasons is that there are more people coming in and out of the house now that it has new owners. Whatever or whoever is in that space – the entities – are reaching out and becoming aggressive to get someone’s attention. They have something to say and someone needs to start listening to them before it gets out of hand.

A portrait of Lizzie Borden.

A portrait of Lizzie Borden.

Q: How was the energy at Maplecroft different from the house on Second Street (the Murder House)?

Adam: The second we entered the space it was heavy and oppressive. We knew something was feeling us out just like we were getting a sense of them.

Amy: It's a beautiful house and we didn't expect to instantly feel like someone didn't want us there. We actually did an experiment where we both wrote down which areas of the house felt the most active and then compared our lists. We picked the exact same spots in the exact same order and that's how we decided where to start our investigation on night one. (I don't think there was time to show this in the episode.)

Q: There are many original pieces in the home, including Lizzie’s bathtub. Were you or Chip draw to any specific artifact?

Adam: Amy and I were drawn to a specific room at one point during our investigation. We each said that we felt like something was there in that space. Chip said he felt death in that same room... the parlor. That’s where Lizbeth was waked when she passed.

Amy: Personally, I was very drawn to the small parlor off one of her bedrooms. It turns out it features a fireplace that is engraved with the line from a hymn that she had sung at her wake.

Lizzie Borden's parlor, the room she where she was waked.

Lizzie Borden's parlor, the room she where she was waked.

Q: We know that Lizzie died in the home; how much do you think that impacts her ability to “move on” from there?

Amy: I don't think Lizzie is there because she died there. We think she's there because it was her escape, it was the one place she felt safe and at ease after the trial. That's a tough place for someone to leave.

Q: Do you think Lizzie committed the murders? Do you think we’ll ever know the truth?

Adam: I’d rather not say. Maybe she did, or maybe she didn’t. Maybe it was a split personality and she did it but didn’t because it wasn’t really her. I don’t think we will ever know the truth. Unless there’s a confession letter, and even then how can you believe that the confession is real?

Amy: I think she did. But I don't think we'll ever be clear on why.

Tweet along with Adam and Amy during the Kindred Spirits finale by using the hashtag #KindredSpirits. And don't miss a special Facebook Live Q&A with them after the show at facebook.com/travelchannel.

Amy Bruni looks in Lizzie Borden's mirror and sees Adam Berry.

Amy Bruni looks in Lizzie Borden's mirror and sees Adam Berry.

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