Oakland,California--The Clarke mansion

[genex17]

This is an old 1997 news article about a haunted stretch of Oakland where the Clarke mansion once stood at 16th and Castro streets. It was demolished to make way for the eastbound lanes of the I-980 freeway.

Oakland is the major port city on the East Bay across from San Francisco,to phrase it in general terms,much like what Brooklyn is to Manhattan, a working class industrial city. The historic transcontinental railway ends here. Berkeley is to the north and is famous for its' University.

Now with a bit of introduction,here is the story of a historical haunting famous in 1874,and some say remains to this day.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/1997/10/31/MN47569.DTL

Google street view of 16th and Castro: http://g.co/maps/uq6fg
The Clarke mansion stood on the left side of 16th street across Castro.

 

[Jac21]

Good story. The bit i found interesting was the old lady's quote on page 4 where she said if she' stood in a certain place she could see glasses start shaking'. And how all three neighbours are experiencing such variations of the same thing. Cracking stuff

 

[rynner2]

For me, that link produces the SF Gate banner across the top of a blank page!

 

[genex17]

For me, that link produces the SF Gate banner across the top of a blank page!

rynner2 and anyone who has trouble with the link,copy/paste this into Google search: Oakland intersection bedeviled by ghostly occurrences of 1874

Gene

 

[genex17]

Good story. The bit i found interesting was the old lady's quote on page 4 where she said if she' stood in a certain place she could see glasses start shaking'. And how all three neighbours are experiencing such variations of the same thing. Cracking stuff

I read it in the print edition of the San Francisco Chronicle Oct 1997,then as was my habit,tossed the paper and forgot to save the story. Odd enough this article is the only mention of this mansion. Recently figured the right keywords and snagged it from the Chronicle archives just in time for Halloween.

Gene

 

[CuriousIdent]

Fascinating stuff.

So the Mansion used to stand ON the Intersection, or just beyond what we can see in street view?

Are there any photographs of the place before it was demolished?

 

[genex17]

Fascinating stuff.

So the Mansion used to stand ON the Intersection, or just beyond what we can see in street view?

Are there any photographs of the place before it was demolished?

It stood on the southwest corner of Castro and 16th,which would likely be the shrubs lining the freeway fence across Castro and on the left side of 16th street in the Google streetview link.

I guess the writer was not able to get any pictures of the house. Nothing shows up on GIS.