Lawsuit hits new Borden attraction
A new Salem attraction devoted to one of the state’s most enduring murder mysteries is itself the subject of controversy, including a federal lawsuit.
The True Story of Lizzie Borden features exhibits about the celebrated 1892 case in which Borden was accused of killing her father and stepmother with a hatchet in their Fall River home. A jury acquitted Borden.
Even before The True Story of Lizzie Borden opened its doors on the Essex Street pedestrian mall last month, the Lizzie Borden Bed & Breakfast in Fall River filed suit in US District Court, contending that the Salem attraction was infringing on its federal trademark, Lizzie Borden Museum. Officials of The True Story of Lizzie Borden deny the charge.
Others in Fall River are unhappy about a Salem business focused on what they consider a Fall River story.
“It almost seems opportunistic that a city like Salem, with such a large and diverse series of attractions and museums, would actually do something like this,” said Peter Kortright, president and chief executive of the Fall River Area Chamber of Commerce. “What if Fall River or New Bedford decides to open a witch museum or build a House of Seven Gables? It sort of muddies the water.”
Kortright said he hopes the opening of the Salem attraction serves as a wake-up call for his city to do more to bolster its cultural economy.
But Leonard Pickel, manager and part owner of The True Story of Lizzie Borden, said he was simply acting on a business opportunity.
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