Brua Mansion
Immediately upon pulling up to the entrance, as shown above, an upsetting feeling crops up in your stomach. The entrance is actually the driveway to the old estate, which is marked on either side by two stone pillars. The driveway itself is blocked by a pile of well-packed dirt, giving the notion that for some reason, people should avoid the place altogether. However, it is very easy to get over the pile on foot. The entire area is dark and ominous...the picture above, and all the pictures for that matter, were taken around 5 pm in September, so daylight was plentiful. As you walk back along the old driveway, you can tell there was a mansion there because the entire driveway is lined with 200-foot tall pine trees, as most mansions are, for privacy purposes. The once-stone driveway is now littered with pine needles, as the property has been abandoned for at least 50 years. The mansion itself is no longer standing, but intriguing remnants remain. About 200 yards back on the left, you can see the foundation of the old storage house, which itself was rather large. Walk a little further and you will come across the old spring house, which has long since filled with 10 feet of water. Walk back even further along a few rarely-treaded paths and you will find the remnants of what was once the Lynn A Brua Estate, also known as "The Orchards". The remaining foundation is about 6 feet deep, made completely of stone, and still in pretty decent shape. You can actually crawl down into the foundation, as the basement steps still remain. The house was actually pretty large--the foundation measures approximately 100 x 75 feet. If you walk a little further back the trail (now you would be about 1/2 mile from the road), you will come to an embankment. If you walk up and over this, you will be overlooking what was once the large walk-through garden, which still contains unique plants and shrubbery from the former rich family. The place is very cool to explore, but I would not suggest traveling long distances just to see it. Rumors about the property range from murder stories to gypsy spells, but in fact, none of them are true. The Lynn a Brua Estate was built in 1872, and burnt down sometime in the mid-1900's. I can find no information on it except the information I have given (which I received from a local), but on the front pillar bears the words "THE ORCHARDS, LYNN A BRUA, 1872". Supposedly, according to the lady I talked to about the place, there is a family cemetery somewhere back there, perhaps in the backyard....but I have yet to search for and find it. So the property could very well be roamed by spirits..............
-Driveway
-The
Engravement on the Pillar
-The
SpringHouse
-The
final entrance to the ghost mansion
-The
backyard
-Front
porch remnants
-The
basement steps