The Ashbury Mansion Abandoned After Coal Company Decline

The Ashbury family established Blackthorn Mansion on Mercer Avenue in the town of Ridgemont in 1907 after Edward Ashbury purchased the property while managing a growing coal company. Edward, his wife Margaret, their three children, and Edward’s mother lived in the three-story Gothic Revival residence. The family income came from coal extraction, railway supply contracts, and mining investments.

Local records described Blackthorn Mansion as a prominent neighborhood home, maintained through the success of the Ashbury coal business before industrial changes reduced demand and weakened the family’s finances.

The first warning sign appeared in 1929 when coal prices declined and several railway contracts were cancelled. By 1931, Edward received overdue notices for mining equipment payments and unpaid business accounts. The family dismissed household employees, closed the upper spire rooms, and postponed repairs to the stone veranda, copper roof, and damaged shutters. The coal company decline of 1933 caused business losses, mortgage difficulties, and unpaid property taxes. In 1934, Edward and Margaret left Blackthorn Mansion after creditors began legal proceedings, moving with their children to a smaller home owned by relatives.

Blackthorn Mansion was abandoned in 1935 after the coal company decline, foreclosure process, and accumulated debts ended the Ashbury family’s ownership. No restoration occurred, and no Ashbury relatives returned to occupy the property. County records later documented unsuccessful auctions and repair estimates considered too expensive for preservation. Furniture, company records, and personal belongings remained inside while weather damaged the charcoal stone walls, copper roofing, and marble terraces. Over decades, ivy covered the garden paths and the marble statue deteriorated near the entrance. The Gothic Revival Victorian mansion remains empty on Mercer Avenue, continuing to deteriorate without restoration or a confirmed future owner.