Benny finds the Cursed Titus Mansion Ruins

Cursed ruins? In Massachusetts? Once Benny got wind of the cursed Titus Mansion Ruins in Tyringham at Ashintully Gardens, there was no stopping him from wanting to explore this unique spot in Western Massachusetts.

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After two hours in a car, two rest stops along the Pike, and two wrong turns off the highway (apparently, we were doing things in two’s that day), we made it to Ashintully Gardens, a nature reserve and garden that’s run by The Trustees of Reservations. This was to be the first stop on our official “Tour de Western Mass” trip, which is a fancy way of saying, “My wife, Benny, and I decided it was time we finally took a few days off.”

Ashintully Gardens seems to be hidden away, which is exactly what we wanted. Wanting to get away from the hustle and bustle endemic to the eastern part of the state, we were looking forward to walking around a tranquil garden that would (ahem, should) be void of people.

We found the small, dirt parking lot on Sodom Road, exited our tired vehicle, and proceeded to check out the garden.

Ashintully Gardens

The first step to getting to the ruins is walking through the Ashintully Gardens.

This proved to be just the peaceful retreat we were looking for. There are some old statues around, and Benny found stone stairs that he wanted to climb. Unfortunately, the fabric of our tranquil retreat was about to be shredded by a small crowd that arrived right after us. Benny jumped into the backpack and hid. My wife and I climbed the ancient stairs to the top of the hill in hopes of finding a more relaxing environment.

We were rewarded by a great view.

Thankfully, the gardens didn’t hold the attention of the boisterous crowd, and we were able to descend the stairs to check out the rest of the garden. Do I sound like an old fuddy-duddy when I say that? Probably.

As much as Benny loves to explore, his patience was starting to wear thin.

“These aren’t the ruins I’m looking for!” he began to whine. I understand his frustration. “Where are the Titus Mansion ruins?”

Getting to the Titus Mansion Ruins

It was time to get serious and look for these cursed ruins. And by cursed, I actually mean that. According to a legend, the family who used to own the property thought they were cursed because one of them was an Egyptologist and disturbed the grave of an Egyptian king. This article from thecottager.com has more information about that story. It’s a fascinating read, and Benny, who did his homework before the trip, was eager to roam among the Titus Mansion ruins. The mansion, according to Benny, was destroyed by a fire in 1952.

I started walking along this path. Benny told me that it was the wrong way, but I didn’t see any other path. So, I kept going. He called me stubborn; I told him he was wrong. Yeah, we had a few words with each other. My wife, who had just had it with both of us, went back to the car to cool off and get away from the bugs (I really think she meant us).

Anywho, as I tried to find the ruins, Benny was in the backpack and kept mumbling, “It’s not this way.”

I tried to soak in the view and ignore the mumbling Benny. I still couldn’t find the mansion, and my pride was getting in the way of my admitting that there was a possibility that he was right. Finally, right before I was ready to turn around, I thought I saw the columns of the Titus Mansion ruins through the trees!

We trailblazed through a narrow section of woods, and, lo and behold, there it was! I stomped through the tall grass, took two ticks off of me, and then arrived at the ruins.

Benny just rolled his eyes at me. “There was an easier way, but we’re here.”

Exploring the Titus Mansion Ruins

Really important note: The Titus Mansion ruins are not kid friendly. While they are very interesting to explore, you can get hurt if you’re not careful. Neither Benny nor I are responsible if you go here and get hurt. I know saying that may seem obvious, but we live in a very crazy world and it needed to be said. Also, you don’t want to mess with a place that could be cursed!

Benny wanted to actually go inside the ruins. I reluctantly agreed.

The inside is, as I mentioned above, not exactly the place you’d want to have a picnic in. Benny thought that there was an eerie vibe inside.

“Maybe it’s the curse!” I said. “OOOOOOOOOOOOOO,” I added, trying to sound like a ghost.

The top of the mansion is a bit more pleasant on the eyes than the inside. Just look at those views! If you look really closely, you can see a couple of pine trees in the distance that Benny and I trailblazed through. With views like these, it’s hard to believe that this mansion is cursed.

My Moment of Shame

After we enjoyed the views, we walked down a path that led away from the mansion.

“What an interesting path,” Benny said. “I just wonder where it may go.”

“It looks like it leads to another ruin of some sort,” I responded, not quite picking up on Benny’s sarcasm.

“Bob, look down the path. Just look that way!” Benny pointed in the direction of the path leading down the hill.

“That was the path we were supposed to go on. This leads back to Ashintully Gardens!”

Well, he had bested me. Yes, he was right. I could have saved ourselves a bit of aggravation if I had just listened to him in the first place. Lesson learned; always listen to the bear who does his homework.

Letting him take the lead, we walked back to the mansion and through an old carriage road of sorts. I thought that the mile-or-so walk back to the car would have been enough for him to forget about my adamant directional malfunction.

When we hopped back in the car, my wife Christina asked how the rest of the adventure was. Benny wasted no time in exclaiming, “I was right! Bob went the wrong way. He should have listened to me.”

Christina looked at him and said, “I know, Benny. Sometimes you just have to let him figure it out on his own.”

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For more information about Ashintully Gardens and the Titus Mansion ruins, check out the Trustees’ website.

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Looking for more to do in Western MA? Check out these places:

• Shelburne Falls Trolley Museum
• Climbing South Mount Sugarloaf
• Make Your Own Candle at the Yankee Candle Headquarters
• Check out Dinosaur Footprints
• The Titus Mansion Ruins at Ashintully Gardens
• The Housatonic River Walk, Great Barrington
• The Norman Rockwell Museum

Check out our map of places we’ve been in New England!