Fall River, on the edge of the Taunton River in Bristol County, was a major textile-producing center in the 19th and early 20th century. The clothing industry is still an economic factor today and many people come here to shop in its outlet stores. Fall River was once an important port, shipping goods and passengers to New York, Boston, Providence and Newport. It maintains its nautical history via Battleship Cove, the finally resting place for a variety of military ships and war craft.
The Freetown Historical Society Museum displays artifacts related to the history of the area. The collection includes photos, antique furniture, clothing, tools, and a steam engine used for powering textile machines at the former Monument Manufacturing Company. There are also exhibits on the Revolutionary, Civil, and World Wars.
Battleship Cove is an outdoor naval museum established in 1965 when the USS Massachusetts was moored at the Fall River pier to recognize the 13, 000 Massachusetts men and women who died in WWII. Since then several other ships have joined the Massachusetts including PT torpedo boats 796 and 617, the USS Lionfish, a WWII submarine and the USS Destroyer Joseph P Kennedy, which served in Korea, Vietnam and the Cuban Missile Crisis.
The place where Lizzie Borden was accused of killing her parents with an axe has been made into bed and breakfast and museum. On August 4, 1892 someone hacked to pieces Andrew J. Borden and his second wife Abby. Borden's youngest daughter Lizzie was arrested and tried for the crime but she was acquitted. This museum contains memorabilia from Fall River and from the Borden Family. The house has been preserved to appear as it did at the time of the murders.
Address: Lizzie Borden Museum, 92 Second Street, Fall River, MA 02721, United States
Phone: 1 (508) 675-7333, Fax: 1 (508) 673-1545
Hours:
11am-4pm
Tips: Operates as a bed and breakfast.
Guides: Interpretive sessions sometimes available.
Located in old boxcars, the Old Colony & Fall River Museum displays equipment once used on the Fall River Railroad. Visitors can see a rail switch, a self-propelled diesel coach, a caboose, a theater car and more.
Hours:
April 15 to June 30: am-am; Sun:12pm-2pm; Sat:12pm-4pm
July 1 to September 5: 12pm-5pm; Closed: Mon, Tue, Wed
September 6 to November 15: am-am; Sun:12pm-2pm; Sat:12pm-4pm; Closed: Mon, Tue, Wed
Saint Anne's Parish was founded in 1869 and the lower church was built in 1894. French Canadian emigrants built the upper church in 1906. The center of the Shrine is home to the statue of Saint Anne.