Does the ghost of M. Theo Kearney haunt his former residence? - Photo courtesy of historicfresno.org
Several miles west of downtown Fresno, lies Kearney Park. The park was started in 1892 by M. Theo. Kearney and was to be part of a 225 acre agriculture complex. The current mansion was originally to be the caretakers quarters, unfortunately it and an adjacent servant's quarters were all that were built as Mr. Kearney died in 1906 and his dreams of an agricultural "Garden of Eden" were never completed.
Though Mr. Kearney died over one hundred years ago, there are rumors that he still walks his property at night, perhaps dismayed that his dream was never completed. There are also stories that a house maid, a Nora S., also wanders the darkened halls at night. Perhaps she feels she still needs to make sure the residence is kept in order for Mr. Kearney. Others have seen a man wandering around in the wooded area near the house. Others have felt as if someone from the house was watching them and once someone said they saw a female figure on the porch.
There is also an urban legend stating that a woman in white (some call her the White Witch) haunts the railroad tracks on the property and that anyone who is unfortunate enough to see her eyes, dies immediately. Personally, I find this highly unlikely as if she kills anyone who sees her, how can there be any witnesses to pass on this claim?
Still, Kearney Park is one of those Fresno treasures that most people know about, but may have never gone. The City of Fresno currently owns the Mansion and Park and you can tour the Mansion for a small fee. For further information on public tours of the Kearney Mansion, you can call 559-441-0862.
27 comments:
i think it is becase my bff said the same thing but idk and i went there at my filed trip i looked in the window and i heared piano like music!!!!!!! and some people said mr. kearney's 3 children were murder and they are in the back yard dead!!!!! is it true that it is haunted??? is mr. kearney still walking in the streets or the white witch??
omg yesturday i went with my bf nd saw someone by the bush he was crouching down like if he was hidding nd i hve this strong feeling theres a secret to be investigated i saw many people walking on our way to kearney park in chains i felt so much eergy there that i was afraid to go out the car
I'm going to do a couple investigations there. FYI to some people. The County of Fresno own the mansion and park with help from the Historical Society. Also Mr. Kearney was a swinging bachelor with no children. I'm going to look for Mr. Kearney, the maid, and the "white witch"
Good luck in getting permission to do an investigation there. I've tried contacting the historical society several times over the past year and they have not returned any of my calls. If you do get it, let me know. I'm interested to see what happens.
I visited the park this weekend and saw a bunch of people with tents and RVs. While you might not get inside the mansion after dark, it does seem possible to stay at the park after dark.
I only live about 7 miles away from Kearney mansion,and I have been to both the park and inside the mansion itself.As soon as I first walked into the mansion and saw the beautiful spiral stairs,I immediately felt a cold rush of energy.Also,if u have ever really researched Mr.Kearney u no he was in fact a slave owner,and just to the back right of the mansion there stands the little shack,witch was the slaves quarters. Throughout the whole park,and even up and down Kearney ave. U can feel an eerie feeling and there are many,many fatal car accidents on this one road,my moms bestfreinds husband was one of those victims,I believe in the ghost of Mr.Kearney,and the White Witch. I'm glad I could help.
The building was built in 1892, nearly three decades after the Civil War ended and slavery abolished. Kearney was never a slave owner, nor is the building you speak of "slave quarters.
Yes, it is true Kearney was not a slave owner. And it is a creepy feeling when you enter the mansion its so old that anytime you walk around you will feel like you heard noise. But i have not witnessed seeing anything yet. But i do believe that the mansion and the kearney park grounds are haunted. It is the truth I would not lie about this.
When is the best time to see the ghost there at kearney park?
kearney is in fact a slave owner , think about it . do u really think he built that whole house and park by himself. NO. he bought slaves nd they built the park*house , look at the year it got done , in the 1800's the year wen slavery was very popular inside the U.S . Use common since an old rich white men building on over 200 acres by hi self , NEVER HEARD OF. So yes its a fact that the man was a slave owner.
There was some people shot and killed execution style, a baby was left alive in or around kearney park. This happened a long time ago but I know it is true. Maybe they haunt it too
I don't shit about nothing but I no that shit is fucking hanted...as we drove along Kearney...if u no that place it has 2 lanes in the middle and a single oneway road on each side..my cousin decided to turn to the park while we was still in the middle lane the car got caught on the dirt between the roads.. we made the other passenger get out to push the car bcuz it was stuck as the car unstucked we all heard a deep pitch voice of a little girl from the park(it fucking 2a.m in the morning what the fuck is she doing there)as we smashed of and left the others there they was running after us then we made a left there was a street sign letting u no that a stop sign is ahead ..as we waited for the others to get to the car the sign was waving side to side (no wind outside)very fast as the others got in the car as we drove near it slowed down as we got right next to it. it stop completely as we started to drive a way it stared to wave side to side again the farther we drove away I looked back and it was waving as fast as when we 1st seen it......((man just writing this gives me the chills))
I've been there a few times, I always went with my childhood friend. He and I would go with girls just to scare them and it seemed as if everytime we went. something happened. even if it was something small.
the first time we went together, we heard drums, like a ceremonial native american drum. it was weird seeing as it wasn't really native american ground, I believe. so i just brushed it off as maybe someone was practicing a drum kit nearby. whatever
another time it got creepy. it was Halloween. he and I with a group of girls. we went and he and his girlfriend went on the east side of the property by the gate and in between the trees and they both said they seen footprints behind me. But I didn't believe them. later that night we made 2 trips to the mansion itself through the backside of the park. theres a spot you can park your car. and you have to get out because it's closed off. so we left the car there. on one of the trips to the house we seen a shadowy circluar object emanate from the house to the lamp post just outside, maybe 10 or 15 feet away from the house itself. this object had to have been at least 4-6 feet across. it moved fast. it went from the house to the light pole. and back to the house and right in between the light and the house it stopped. then returned and disappeared.
during the second trip we didn't see anything. so as we walked back to leave the park. there was this giant oil tanker i believe, it was huge and it just sat there probably for storage. but without a gust of wind or anything. it sounded like a car wrecked into it because it was loud. after it happened the tanker began to hiss as if it contained some sort of gas or something. so we proceeded back to the car and left.
never been there since.
Slavery was abolished on December 6, 1865 before even the park was built. So there were no slaves just paid African American people. Who quite possibly built the park and mansion. And that is not a slave house, that is a tea house. I stick to facts and figures you should do the same instead of going off of feelings and opinions.
My mom was telling me about a ghost car that is in Kearny Park. There will be a car driving behind you and it will pass you up, but there is nobody driving - anyone else hear of that one?
We grew up on the urban legend that Mr Kearney killed his wife by chopping off her head and that she haunted the grounds headless looking for her head.. lol.years later we found out the true story.. but was still spooky growing up and going there on family events. especially at dusk
Those palm trees that line his drive way for miles were planted after kerney decided to build his mansion. That property was prized by the Yokut americans. The first buildings were made shortly after the Yokut massacares not the mansion but a nice size house and three small quarters. Before all that the river was HUGE the water was sacerd the plant life untouched any person standing there could feel that.So of course people had to die for kearnyes garden of eden plan. You think he was gonna work that him self HA.The african americans planted those trees. Then the asians built the roads and laid the train tracks.That soil is hollowed.
Several of my fiends and I participated in a Civil War reenactment there in 1999. We had our image taken early in the morning by a photographer-reenactor using original photography equipment. Our purpose for doing it so early was to avoid the possibility of anyone in modern clothing showing up in the background. All went well with the image taking, and several weeks later we all received our 8x10 copies. We were amazed to see in the background what appears to be a young Mexican or Native American child in braids with a blanket around her shoulders looking at us posing for our image although NO child had been present when the image was taken. My copy is framed and now sits proudly upon my bookshelf, and my daughters refer to it as the "ghost baby" photo.
A few years later we participated in another Civil War reenactment there. I had awoken early, approx. 2:00 a.m. or so, and felt a need to stretch my legs. As I was standing outside our camp I distinctly heard leaves and branches crunching underfoot as someone walked up behind me. I assumed it was one of my friends, but when I turned to speak to him no one was there.
Wow! Interesting reading all these comments I grew up in that area in fact we live in one of those little white houses that were across the street from the Park which are still there to this day and then we move down the street to the next block over and that old house that is my favorite house that I ever lived in and not once have I ever heard of any of these stories all I know is that at night we used to hear all these noises coming from outside that were very creepy and all I know is that house that we lived in the big house down the road from Kearney park walking distance in the last couple of years I had just found out that it was the overseers house that Kearney had there never knew that.... boy how I miss those days when my sisters and I would play in front of the mansion sliding down the banisters right in the front porch
it haunted the third floor has a room full with doll people think this doll is fake but if they still have there you xould see it but they use to have a chucky doll and if u stay all night u will see somebody i once was there at the mansion and i peek in the window and saw somebody there it was a mad if u go say u dont want to go on the third floor they will take u to the doll room and long ago people say that they heard voices at the doll room and when they were there they felt somebody touching them
My ex husband told everyone a story of how he was driving west bound towards Kerman on Kearney ave. around 1am and saw a white spirit riding a bike traveling the same speed (50 mph) as he was traveling. It travelled from on side of Kearney park to the other end of Kearney park. Then it turned into the park and keep riding down the parks road inside the park.
Let's clear up a few things here as this article is rife with errors. First of all the photo is a Fresno Historical Society photo; secondly, Mr. Kearney built dozens of structures on the property. The superintendent's lodge (Kearney Mansion) and the servant's quarters were just two buildings among an entire town that included a store, post office, black smith shop, tea house, warehouse, gate house, school house and worker homes. Buildings still standing in addition to the mansion and servant's quarters include the carriage house and the ice house. Nora the maid mentioned was a recent employee of the Historical Society who helped to keep the mansion clean. The park and Mansion are owned by the University of California and leased to the County of Fresno. The Fresno Historical Society administers and maintains the museum and grounds. Kearney was not a slave owner, and there was never any slave quarters on the property. There is no doll room. A chucky doll has never been on the premises. Regarding permission for access to investigate the paranormal, the Historical Society is serious about protecting this National Register historic building. You may recall the old nursing home in Clovis that had to be torn down due to vandalism to the historic structure and the nuisance to the neighborhood due to its being considered haunted. Spreading these type of rumors endanger this important historic site. I personally have worked at Kearney Mansion for nearly 29 years and have been there in all circumstances from early morning to very late at night, from basement to attic. You may have seen a tour guide, me or one of my coworkers when you were peaking in the windows. There are people on the premises 7 days a week. My belief is that you will see, hear or feel what you want. I have never had the slightest feeling of anything out of the ordinary at Kearney Mansion and neither has any of the other staff members. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_slavery_in_California
Thanks "History Matters" for clearing things up. There are so many bs comments here with zero facts. Appreciate the heads up. I have one question. People say there are railroad tracks on the property. Is this true, and if so, where? I looked up old railroad tracks in the area, and the only decommissioned line I found was an east-to-west line that runs parallel to 180, but it's about a mile north of Kerney Park, and not anywhere near the property.
Though technically not slaves his workers lived on the property and their rent was paid from their wages. The rest of their wages were paid with his own currency which could only be spent at his stores on the property. They basically had no choice as to where to live as no other housing was available nearby.
I lived in Fresno for 26 years and I remember as a child we used to go there. I remember people would always say that the mansion is haunted. I have never seen anything as described but only hear rumors. All I know is daylight there is people but would leave before sun set. It seem peaceful at that time. I just remember sitting on the grass and looking a this big house that no one seems to live there anymore. But do I question if its haunted. Yes. Come to think of it no one lives there! Of course its haunted. I also heard from family and friends that the road to Kearney park is haunted esp at night. You would get rock toss to you while driving. Also down that road there is a very haunted church that also have a morgue inside. Used to have cousins passed away and we would do their funeral there... the owner used to be a African American man. He would always tell the people that come use his church for funeral services that he sees all kinds of things. Sometimes he would see the dead come before the funeral day.... now I have not been in that church or park for over 20 years....
He was never married and never had children.
When I was a teenager in 1965, I and my family visited Kearney Mansion at Christmastime and asked an older woman volunteer if she knew of any ghostly activities at the house. This woman was like a kindly grandmother, totally credible. She told us in detail about personally seeing a man she thought was M. Theo. Kearney, dressed in an old-fashioned turn-of-the-century suit,upstairs at the end of the hallway (looking out the window) when she had come to the house one afternoon to prepare for a meeting of Historical Society members. She at first thought it was some stranger who had gotten into the house. She said that she could not make out the man's face, that he seemed startled when she stepped into the hallway from the stairway landing, and that she saw him pass through the closed door into his bedroom. When she went into the bedroom
, no one was there. As she told us this, she showed the hairs standing up on her arms.
Soon after this, I became a teenage volunteer & was very friendly with the head of the Historical Society then, Daniel Pollard. He told me of his own eerie experience in the guest room on the opposite side of the hall from Kearney's bedroom. It was when the house was being prepared to open as a museum, I believe in the early 60's. He was vacuuming the carpet on a warm Summer evening, and the carpet began to undulate as though a strong wind was moving it. He found it frightening.
I was impressed enough by these stories to write a letter to Hans Holzer, prolific author of books on hauntings. Holzer replied and said he would like to come visit next time he was in California, but Dan Pollard was uneasy about negative attention and refused Holzer's request.
Years later, I am still good friends with a later president of the Historical Society, Jill Moffatt, and she said she'd never heard any of these stories - so clearly Pollard and the woman volunteer did not share their experiences with many people. It's thus not surprising that Historical Society members today deny or dismiss the idea that there is a history of paranormal activity at the house.
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