“Lift it up, c’mon before the police see us,” I said as we drove our Ford Focus under a private property sign that blocked (was intended to block) a long driveway. “Are you sure this is the right place? What if it’s not the mansion?” I asked afraid that we were travelling up someone’s actual driveway. If I were a cartoon character, I would be Chicken Little. We continued up the winding driveway past fallen trees and ruptured bags of trash, until we reached a sheet of solid snow. We decided to get out of the car and walk the rest of the way up the hill. Sperrys weren’t exactly the best choice of shoes for a short trek through the snow, but I continued up the hill until we finally reached a clearing.
My eyes were immediately drawn to the mammoth structure on the left. Overgrown shrubs covered most of the
first floor, so we moved closer, crunching fallen twigs. From a closer vantage point we not only noticed the deplorable condition of the mansion, but also the many security cameras that festooned its side. I turned to my right and noticed more structures: a carriage house, shed, and guesthouse. All of these structures were modeled after the main house and were in the same state of disrepair. After a couple of minutes of roaming around trying to avoid looking up at the security cameras, we decided it would be best to leave. I figured that a conviction for trespassing would be an inauspicious start to my college career. On our walk back, we noticed a black bag filled with empty beer cans.
Deciding that we might as well have a little fun while we were breaking the law, we slid down the snow back to the car and reversed our way down the driveway, under the private property sign and back onto the street…The sign in front read “Bramble Hill,” and after some research I learned that this mansion once belonged to Milton and Alice Higgins who were monumental in the educational and cultural life of Worcester. The property, which was once one of Worcester’s greatest estates was purchased by a private company and has been vacant since 2007. The property is for sale, but due to the difficult real estate market, there is a fear that the property could be destroyed. The compound is listed on Preservation Worcester’s “Endangered Structures List” in hopes that the community will be able to preserve this important peace of Worcester’s history.
