Silvertree House Documents Show Eerie Disputed Will

Silvertree House, a massive, turreted structure of grey granite, was built in the late 1880s for Mrs. Agnes Prentiss, a wealthy, eccentric widow. The house’s historical beauty lies in its imposing, almost fortress-like design, reflecting the owner’s intense desire for privacy. Prentiss lived there for less than five years before her sudden death in 1893. The quiet unease arises from the property’s subsequent legal fate: the estate immediately fell into a bitter, protracted legal battle over her final will, which was formally ruled disputed and then simply vanished from court records. The house was sealed by court order, preserving it in an eerie state of arrested decay, its expensive furnishings left untouched as the legal contest stalled indefinitely.

The Lawyer’s Annotated Documents

The documented human complication is the existence of two, contradictory wills. The first, officially registered, left the bulk of the estate to a distant relative. The second, unsigned copy, was found folded and pinned inside the lining of a bedroom curtain. This copy stipulated the entire estate be left to her long-time Cook and housekeeper, Mrs. Denton. Found alongside this unsigned document was a brief, feverish note written in the margin of a book of devotional poetry: “The Lawyer must know the truth is Denton’s, not theirs.” This suggests the widow attempted to change her will in haste, leaving a situation that was ripe for being disputed. The original, official Lawyer confirmed that he had met with Mrs. Prentiss to discuss a change but died suddenly before the new document was formally executed, adding a layer of final, frustrating silence to the legal tangle.

The Cook’s Hidden Tool

The most profound piece of physical/archival evidence is a small, sealed iron lockbox found hidden behind the chimney flue in the kitchen—the professional domain of the Cook. The box remains unopened, its lock rusted solid. However, a small, heavily starched lace cuff, a piece of clothing belonging to the Cook, was found stuck in the hinge. This evidence of the Cook’s direct, secret involvement in concealing something on the estate is undeniable. The presence of the unsigned will, the sudden death of both the wealthy widow and her Lawyer, and the abandoned, sealed box in the kitchen collectively imply a deliberate attempt by Mrs. Prentiss to pass her wealth to her employee, an attempt tragically foiled by events. The property remains in legal limbo, its final disposal disputed, standing as a physical testament to a powerful intention that was never fully executed, leaving an eerie question hanging over the rightful owner.