Who doesn’t love a good story about buried treasure, ghosts, and secrets? Massachusetts has a history stuffed with tales of intrigue and haunted happenings, like this one about a ruined mansion in Methuen and the fortune that it may be hiding.
The Charles H. Tenney property in Methuen has been known by many names. Originally built in the 1890s by successful merchant Charles H. Tenney , the estate was often called Grey Court, Tenney Castle, or Greycourt Castle.
This place was a massive mansion that looked more like a European palace than a private home, but the legend of the treasure actually starts with two brothers, Nathaniel and Mark Gorrill, who lived with their parents nearby.
The tale goes that in the late 1800s, the brothers fell in love with the same woman. The woman rejected both, but then each brother blamed the other for the loss of the woman.
Though they continued to live together in the same house, they never spoke to each other again. According to the story, each brother would secretly sneak out at night and bury his half of the family farm’s income on the Tenney Castle property.
In the early 1900s, after the Gorrill brothers’ deaths, a Methuen local claimed to have had a dream that revealed the location of the buried treasure. According to some accounts, he dug in the basement of the castle and found $20,000 in bonds. Other stories say that he never found the treasure he sought.
Today, the former Tenney estate is actually a public park. Paranormal experts and ghost hunters claim that the spirits of the Gorrill Brothers still linger in the area, especially at the Tenney Gatehouse, in order to protect their hidden riches.
Of course, there’s no evidence that the Gorrill brothers actually buried anything in what is now Greycourt State Park. However, if you see anything shiny sticking out of the ground there, it might be worth taking a second look.
As entertaining as this local legend is, please note that we definitely do not condone or recommend digging for buried treasure or trespassing in the private areas of Greycourt State Park.
Greycourt State Park Address: 37 Pleasant Street, Methuen, MA, 01844
