House on Arkansas Lane
#1
Posted 01 November 2005 - 11:18 AM
It was briefly mentioned in an article in the Sunday, 10/30 edition of the Star-Telegram. Apparently, it's rumoured to be haunted...legend has it that a boy killed his parents there, and has been an "unusable" property ever since. (It is zoned for commercial use and has been bought and sold several times, yet always remains empty...hmmmmm!)
I scoured the internet and didn't come up with anything, other than the urban legend mentioned above. Does anybody happen to know the story of this house? Thanks!
Cary
#2
Posted 02 November 2005 - 09:45 AM
#3
Posted 02 November 2005 - 11:08 AM
There is (was), however, a house off Arkansas (between Fielder and Bowen... closer to Bowen, past Jon B's... but before the Gymnastic Academy) that was set back on the property, behind some trees. It was always abandoned... and rumors swirled around it.
I'd heard that a kid killed his parents there... so it never sold. There was lots of graffiti and broken windows. Of course, we were all told as kids that "satanists" hung out there.
My mother drove me and a friend back there once during the day to check it out (funny... he's an architect in town now). It was pretty spooky! I thought this was the house that the Star-Telegram was referencing.
#4
Posted 02 November 2005 - 12:33 PM
I grew up in a neighborhood off Fielder/Arkansas... and I can't remember any house in that's immediately near that intersection.
There is (was), however, a house off Arkansas (between Fielder and Bowen... closer to Bowen, past Jon B's... but before the Gymnastic Academy) that was set back on the property, behind some trees. It was always abandoned... and rumors swirled around it.
I'd heard that a kid killed his parents there... so it never sold. There was lots of graffiti and broken windows. Of course, we were all told as kids that "satanists" hung out there.
My mother drove me and a friend back there once during the day to check it out (funny... he's an architect in town now). It was pretty spooky! I thought this was the house that the Star-Telegram was referencing.
Yes, that's it! It's a big, white brick house that sits on a hill above Arkansas Ln...between Fielder & Bowen. It's actually a very pretty house and as I said, I've always been curious about it...it's just bizarre that it still sits there, very imposing and all by itself...It's one of those houses that you can drive by every day for years and not notice, but then one day it just seems to leap out at you. Very strange place.
I can't determine the exact street address...I've tried to figure it out but there is no number posted either on the house or on the curb. It's on the 2000 or 2100 block of Arkansas Ln. I'll drive by it again today to try to at least get a street address for a nearby building.
I grew up in Grand Prairie (which might as well be Arlington, as far as that is concerned) but I never heard any stories about this house, and don't remember any sort of sensational murder that occurred in Arlington. According to info. I found on the internet, the house was built in the 40's and the crime occurred in the late 60's or early 70's. The house doesn't appear to be that old, however, and I'm sure the stories about it are just teenage urban legend. Yet, there is very definitely something up with that place...why would it be fenced off and empty after all these years otherwise?? I am so very intrigued by it!
#5
Posted 02 November 2005 - 05:09 PM
#6
Posted 04 November 2005 - 09:57 AM
On TAD, use the “Tax Map” to find your plat then you can locate the addition name and lot # for this house and look it up using the property data search. I’m familiar with the area but not that specific house but would like to know when you do find out something about it (my apologies if this does not conform to Forum rules and guidelines for the discussion of private residences). You can also access the file of a known address in the vicinity of this house, and using the “TAD Map” link for the known property you can cross reference the lot # and addition name for this house. The Tax map is easier since you can browse the pdf similar to mapquest.
Thanks for the info! I checked it out on TAD, and it just keeps getting stranger.
The map on TAD shows the huge lot that the house sits on has a street circling around it called "High Oaks Circle", and it appears that lots were mapped out, as if housing of some sort was originally slated to be built there. However...there IS no High Oaks Circle!!! There is a small dirt alleyway on the direct right of the house (as you are facing it) that looks like it may have been the beginnings of a road, but now it's gated off and trails into overgrown brush. And there certainly isn't multiple housing of any sort built on the property, which is implied by the map. (TAD also actually lists addresses for these non-existent lots...with the addresses of 33-41 High Oaks Circle, listed as "Residential Vacant".) I can't even tell the exact lot/address for the house itself...near as I can tell it is High Oaks Addition, Lot 1A, which corresponds to an address of "42 High Oaks Circle"...again, a non-existent street and address, but I'm not even sure this is correct. Very, very odd. It's as if the town of Arlington (actually Pantego) doesn't even want to acknowledge this little plot of land. It also appears that somebody bought the property with the intention of developing it but just walked away from the whole proposition.
If you would like to look it up on TAD, pull up the address for "2106 W. Arkansas Lane"...on the map, look across the street from this addy for the "High Oaks" plat, which sits directly between Windy Pine and Stockbridge. (Again, keep in mind that the map will show lots all around "High Oak Circle" that do not exist.) The house does not seem to correspond with any of the lots noted on the map.
Anybody have any insight into this?? The plot thickens!
#7 gdvanc
Posted 04 November 2005 - 10:48 AM
There are several people here who can give a more authoritative answer (redhead comes to mind), but if you want to sell a single lot to multiple individuals or entities, you have to request to have it subdivided into smaller parcels that you can then sell individually. For instance, if you have a 1-acre plot of land that is listed with the county as one single 1-acre lot for tax purposes, and you want to sell half of that lot to a developer, you would have to ask the county to subdivide it (according to your specifications). They'll come out with their transits and plumb bobs and measure and record and will modify the tax records accordingly. You will subsequently own two 1/2-acre lots and you can sell one (or both) of them.
Developers do the same thing. If they by a 1- or 10- or 50-acre lot on which they'd like to build houses to sell to individual homeowners, they have to request the lot to be subdivided into the new smaller lots. That's where the term "subdivision" comes from. I'm pretty sure this happens fairly early in the process because you wouldn't want to spend much money developing the property only to find out later that it can't be subdivided for some reason.
So my guess is that the developer bought it with the intention of developing it (into duplexes or something, judging by the location and lot sizes), got it subdivided, and ended up not developing it for some reason. Financial problems? Changes in the market? Scared away by ghosts? Who knows.
#8
Posted 04 November 2005 - 02:47 PM
In the words of Canadian Power Trio Rush: "Subdivisions"
There are several people here who can give a more authoritative answer (redhead comes to mind), but if you want to sell a single lot to multiple individuals or entities, you have to request to have it subdivided into smaller parcels that you can then sell individually. For instance, if you have a 1-acre plot of land that is listed with the county as one single 1-acre lot for tax purposes, and you want to sell half of that lot to a developer, you would have to ask the county to subdivide it (according to your specifications). They'll come out with their transits and plumb bobs and measure and record and will modify the tax records accordingly. You will subsequently own two 1/2-acre lots and you can sell one (or both) of them.
Developers do the same thing. If they by a 1- or 10- or 50-acre lot on which they'd like to build houses to sell to individual homeowners, they have to request the lot to be subdivided into the new smaller lots. That's where the term "subdivision" comes from. I'm pretty sure this happens fairly early in the process because you wouldn't want to spend much money developing the property only to find out later that it can't be subdivided for some reason.
So my guess is that the developer bought it with the intention of developing it (into duplexes or something, judging by the location and lot sizes), got it subdivided, and ended up not developing it for some reason. Financial problems? Changes in the market? Scared away by ghosts? Who knows.
Well, that certainly makes perfect sense. I used to work in the construction industry and know that projects are terminated without reason all the time. But...just seems so odd. Everything around this house is developed, either residentially or commercially, and in the middle of it all sits this big, empty house. Definitely stirs the imagination...one would think the lot (not to mention the house, which really is very pretty and looks to be structurally sound) would have found a purpose by now.
#9
Posted 05 November 2005 - 04:53 PM
#10
Posted 11 November 2005 - 03:53 PM
http://www.dfw.com/m...ontent=dfw_news
Posted on Sat, Oct. 29, 2005
North Texas haunt spots
Star-Telegram Staff
They may not be the hottest spots in North Texas, but rumor has it that some of these places just might be the most ghoulish grounds around:
House on Arkansas Lane
Near the Arkansas Lane/Fielder Road intersection, Arlington
Either a boy who murdered his family or a man who would molest and kill children keeps the property unusable.
Maybe this is the ghost story you have heard about. Bizarre! I wonder what the true story is here. Wonder if a realtor would know about the property. Very interesting....
mary bess
#11
Posted 11 November 2005 - 04:11 PM
http://texasghosthun.../stories/north/
Arkansas Lane House
This is a big house on a hill where a boy murdered his family in the 1990s. It's said that if you go into the house mysterious people run out, and weird noises are heard like footsteps, doors slamming, and windows breaking. Update: the house was built in the 1940s. The whole area around it was a ranch, and that's where the family lived. The murders happened in the 1960s or early 1970s. There are two stories: the first being that the family had a retarded son they kept in the cellar, but not abusively. He lived down there and had everything he needed: bathroom, bed, and television. There was a large walk-in freezer down there too. Apparently, he murdered his parents and kept the bodies in the freezer, and eventually died himself. The second story is that the kid that lived there wasn't retarded, and that after his parents died of natural causes, he lived there. It's said he was a pedophile and a child murderer and would kill children and hide their bodies in the freezer. Right now it's zoned for commercial use, so companies keep buying the property with plans to level it and put a building there. About two or three weeks later, they'll sell it. There are reports of a family who bought it and started to renovate it. They put up new shingles and new windows, but three weeks later, all work on the house stopped. Right now there is a fence around the property, and the road has been lowered, but you can still see it.
NEW: I just went to the Arkansas Lane house this past weekend with three friends. It feels like you're walking into an air conditioned house in the middle of summer. The house is definitely interesting. I've never seen a house with no hallways or one that changes. The only way in is the back through a slit in the fence and up through the garage due to the fences. The stairwell is the only "hall". There are two lower floors that have aparently been filled in. There is however a giant hole in the back that can be seen from an open doorway leading to a balcony that no longer exists. I believe this is the only way to get to the other floors. It was too dark to actually go down there. The house does change so you have to be very aware of your surroundings or you will freak out. We walked through and had just come from the room with the balcony, the next room had nothing...it was open. I turned around because I thought I saw something and there was a completely different room there. It had a booth like thing in the corner across form the door. Everyone wanted to leave so we made our way back towards the stairs. In the living room I turned to my friend and told her that there were children there. I hadn't heard the children story. I knew nothing about the house, only what others had experienced there. We went one behind the other down the stairs, but about halfway down the guy behind me disappeared. I stayed at the stairs and everyone else went separate ways. We searched for about 5-10 minutes...screaming for him. The next thing we knew he was outside behind the house saying we had to go. He said that on the way down behind me he hit a wall, had to turn around and go for the front. He said that the second he crossed out of the house something started hitting him. He has marks on his body like someone hit him with some kind of hard stick or something. We left right after we found him. What I find so interesting is the fact that the city won't tear it down even when no one will keep it for more than a few weeks. For personal use or commercial use. It's also never the same construction company going in to do the work. I'm determined to go back and really have a good look around at everything. Hopefully I'm passing on some interest.
#12 gdvanc
Posted 11 November 2005 - 04:50 PM
#13
Posted 11 November 2005 - 07:47 PM
Cool story - but as I started reading the second paragraph I was thinking, "Man, I can't believe Mary Bess went into that house!" Sometimes I'm a little slow. Or tired. Let's go with tired.
Hehehe! Yeah, I realized after I pushed "submit" that I probably should have made a clarifying statement to that regard.
Nope, I didn't walk through the house but it might be neat to do so with an authorized group of folks!!!
:0) mb
#14
Posted 14 November 2005 - 12:15 PM
Incidentally...I'm still not finding anything out about the crime that supposedly took place here. Anybody from the Arlington area who remembers anything happening at that house? I'm thinking it's nothing more than teen-aged urban legend, but I DO believe there is something unquiet currently inhabiting that place. Not to get all silly and metaphysical, but I definitely pick up a bad vibe from it.
Anyway, thanks again for posting. Anybody know of any other mysterious/unquiet houses in the Arlington area? I like to creep myself out.
#15
Posted 17 November 2005 - 09:59 PM
#16
Posted 22 November 2005 - 10:51 AM
As I mentioned before, I creeped around the exterior of the house some 10 years ago. The only signs of "visitors" were broken windows and graffiti... but I still got a very creepy vibe and was too chicken to go inside alone!
#17
Posted 23 November 2005 - 10:06 AM
Be sure to keep us posted! I'd be interested in an "authorized" tour, if one ever developed.
As I mentioned before, I creeped around the exterior of the house some 10 years ago. The only signs of "visitors" were broken windows and graffiti... but I still got a very creepy vibe and was too chicken to go inside alone!
I would love to go check out the house myself, but I'm terrified of being arrested for trespassing!! So for now I'll just have to settle for checking it out as I drive by. I truly wish I knew a way to find out more about its history but I'm at a complete loss. Oh well...some mysteries are meant to remain unsolved, I guess.
#18
Posted 28 November 2005 - 09:50 PM
Anyway, here are my photos if anyone is interested. I see what I think looks like a child's face in the lower right hand side of the window.
Also, here are just some other random pics I shot. Not to great, I just pulled up in the fenced off drive and shot them pretty quickly.
#19
Posted 29 November 2005 - 08:15 AM
#20
Posted 29 November 2005 - 09:27 AM
Those pix are neat! Won't speculate about the "face in the window" other than to say it doesn't move with other shots..... I don't know why I thought it was a much older house; must of misread something or just trying to make it spookier in my own mind .
Thanks for posting the pictures! At first glance, yeah, the house doesn't look at all decrepid or old...it's more in the vibe the place puts off, trust me.
#21
Posted 29 November 2005 - 09:49 AM
#22
Posted 29 November 2005 - 12:43 PM
I definitely see something in the window but many times your imagination will want to perceive a simple object to be a body or a face when in actuality it could be a poster or doll especially considering the mystery surrounding this house.
The Willey House (Frank Lloyd Wright original) in Minneapolis was vacant for a number of years and I was fortunate enough to take a tour with my architecture class while it was still in ruins. Months later I road by on my bike one evening and stopped to look only from the street and the neighbor across the way appeared to have zero tolerance for any trespassing or evening curious on-looking for obvious reasons. I wasn't going to test his patience.
#23
Posted 29 November 2005 - 01:08 PM
Another not-so paranormal theory is that someone may have propped a mannequin in the window to scare off curious trespassers or to simply to perpetuate the notion that the house is haunted; basically to just mess with people. I’m sure neighbors get frustrated with people poking around an abandoned house out of fear of vandalism or other illegal activities taking place.
I definitely see something in the window but many times your imagination will want to perceive a simple object to be a body or a face when in actuality it could be a poster or doll especially considering the mystery surrounding this house.
The Willey House (Frank Lloyd Wright original) in Minneapolis was vacant for a number of years and I was fortunate enough to take a tour with my architecture class while it was still in ruins. Months later I road by on my bike one evening and stopped to look only from the street and the neighbor across the way appeared to have zero tolerance for any trespassing or evening curious on-looking for obvious reasons. I wasn't going to test his patience.
I can't really make out anything that would convince me it's something other than a reflection. But...this is interesting to note...one of the accounts of the house I have read stated that, during one paranormal investigation, a medium detected "children in the living room", which is where that window would be.
#24
Posted 29 November 2005 - 04:26 PM
My mom said that in the late 70s/early 80s the house was used as a daycare for mentally retarded people and children. Another interesting tidbit. The actual address I believe is 2104 W Arkansas.
Also, I wanted to add that the first 2 pics in my other post are the same pic, I just cirlced the thing in the second pic.
#25
Posted 29 November 2005 - 08:16 PM
#26
Posted 30 November 2005 - 12:24 AM
#27
Posted 30 November 2005 - 09:39 AM
#28
Posted 30 November 2005 - 08:08 PM
#29 ghughes
Posted 30 November 2005 - 08:34 PM
Thank You All!
#30
Posted 02 December 2005 - 08:28 AM
Years ago this was some sort of facility that housed mentally/physically challenged children. My sister had actually applied for a job there back in the late 70's. We havent been able to find any info at all about the history of this house other than some rumors.
#31 ghughes
Posted 19 January 2006 - 07:43 AM
#32
Posted 19 January 2006 - 08:26 AM
Thanks for posting that. It's very interesting. Wouldn't you think if it was "prohibitive" to rebuild and with all the mischief going on, it would behoove the company to just tear it down? I guess they're gonna wait until someone goes in there and gets killed (for real), or burns it down or something. I'd still love to see it, tho.
#33
Posted 19 January 2006 - 12:25 PM
#34
Posted 19 January 2006 - 11:18 PM
#35
Posted 31 May 2006 - 04:46 PM
#36
Posted 19 June 2006 - 10:54 AM
There are still huge piles of rubble, but the garage is still intact. You can see the stairway down to the basement. I was alone, so there was no way I was going down there!
I really wish I was able to see the house itself. Does anyone have any pictures they can re-post?
#37
Posted 26 June 2006 - 03:41 PM
#38
Posted 16 July 2006 - 06:20 PM
I guess it got too much attention....oh well....
The house burned down a few months ago. It was definately arson as excelerants were found. By the time the fire dept go there, it was a lost cause and the roof started to cave in. It happened at like 2AM in the morning, about 2-3 months ago I think.
#39
Posted 19 July 2006 - 10:00 AM
Arson suspected after house owned by Pantego's first mayor is destroyed
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
By MITCH MITCHELL
May 13, 2006 No utilities were on at the house A historic house, once owned by Pantego's first mayor, burned to the ground Friday.
Fire was through the roof when the first firefighters arrived at the vacant house around noon at 2104 W. Arkansas Lane, said Capt. J. Blackney of the Pantego Fire Department.
By 3 p.m., the weakened structure was breaking apart, no longer able to withstand the water pressure from the fire hoses.
No one was injured, authorities said.
Firefighters said they suspect arson. Several smaller fires, two in the past three weeks, were extinguished at the house.
'No utilities were on at the house,' said Jeff Holloway, Arlington battalion chief. 'More than likely it was intentionally set.'
The house was once owned by V.R. Shurmon Sr., Pantego's first mayor. The house has long been the subject of rumors that it was haunted.
'We've had to run off curiosity-seekers and had several instances of people starting small fires,' said Capt. Sandra Blackney, Pantego Police Department. 'But we've never seen anything to this extent.'
This article contains material from the Star-Telegram archives.
Copyright © 2006 Fort Worth Star-Telegram, All Rights Reserved.
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