Tyng Mansion Dendrology Tour

This tour slightly plays into the local folklore that is Tyng Mansion, and seeing that Halloween is close to upon us, I figured it would be fitting to play into the aftermath of that story, trying not to be to cheesy while being straight to the point about the plant species noted in this tour. Please note that some of the plants listed in this tour are not actually there, but I did my best to place them in an ideal spot instead of stretching the tour from Mass to Maine.

Historically speaking, this area was settled by colonists and is clearly evident with all the rock walls throughout the woods and old abandoned trails. Originally there were about 12,000 Pennacook Indians and 30 villages that used the Merrimack as a food source but after the English came and settled in there were 2,500. But after smallpox, there were 1,200.

It's modern-day and were two young lads fresh out of school, hired to make a list of the most noteworthy species on the property. Since we will be going deeper into the woods at different sections it's a good idea to wear good walking shoes or boots, bring gloves in case of thorns, and having a raincoat or umbrella wouldn't be a bad idea.

Tyng Mansion Folklore Story (Skip to Key Takeaways for Summary)

John Alford Tyng, for whom the town is named, fell in love with a servant girl by the name of Judith Thompson. She was beautiful, and he was smitten, but to marry a girl of such low stature would not befit the Tyng name. So Tyng came up with another plan. He hired a con man known as Dr. Blood to marry the two of them. The marriage was a farce, but Ms. Thompson was not in on the ruse. She proceeded to give Mr. Tyng two children. A third was on the way when John decided to end this relationship for reasons unknown.

He hired Dr. Blood to kill Judith and the two children. He waited in a different room in the Tyng Mansion while the deed was done. They then buried them under the mansion hearth.

The hauntings started soon afterward.

Dr. Blood died in nearby Dunstable (now Nashua, NH) from drowning in a puddle of his own booze, broken free by a smashed flask. A woman’s footprint was found on the back of his head. It is said woman’s laughter was also heard the night of the attack.

John Tyng, terrified of the prospect of his wife’s vengeful return from the grave, moved to another nearby mansion but fell ill soon afterward. People trying to visit him could not, saying the spirit of Judith Thompson was keeping them away. One man, Capt. Joseph Butterfield managed to make his way into the mansion and to Tyng’s room. Tyng died on the spot. Judith’s ghost materialized then and there, cursing Tyng for all eternity.

The mansion burned down in 1979 mysteriously. One last story was of a Native American chief who sold the property to the Tyng’s by mistake. It is said he haunts the large boulder near the property that he used to sit on remorsefully, looking upon the land he once called his own.

Key Takeaways:

Judith Thompson Tyng was murdered by her husband, John Alford Tyng, in the early 1700s. Ever since locals have reported witnessing the spirit of a beautiful woman wearing a green dress at the site of the Colonel Jonathan Tyng House. One last story was of a Native American chief who sold the property to the Tyng’s unknowingly. It is said he haunts the large boulder near the property.