The James Farm
Kearney, Missouri
August 11, 2014
Website
I only include this in a list of my visited "Haunted Locations" because there are a number of websites claiming the James Family Farm, home of famed outlaws Frank and Jesse James, is haunted. It was built in the early 1800's, there is tragedy involved, people have died there, Jesse James was buried there, there has been a massive restoration to the site, and numerous items belonging to Frank and Jesse are located in a museum on the property. So given those factors, it seems just ripe for a haunting.
Let's examine these one by one briefly. The original portion of the log cabin was built in the 1820's, and the James family acquired it in 1840's. Frank and Jesse were both born there. Between bank and train robberies, they lived there until Jesse James' death in 1882 and Frank's death in 1915. It was maintained by James family descendants since then until it was eventually sold to Clay County Missouri Historic Sites in the 1970's. Being almost 150 years old by the time it was passed on to Clay County, the house was in severe disrepair and massive settling has taken place over the decades that the original portion of the house had sunk 2-3 feet and was buckling in. The house was eventually restored and tours are held daily.
Given the age of the house, it is not completely out of the question that tragic events occurred. Most notably were the Civil War and post-Civil War years where the family was targeted by Union soldiers as being sympathizers with the South. In 1875, men from the Pinkerton Detective Agency raided the farm in hopes of capturing the James boys. Amidst all the activities, one of the men threw an incendiary device into the house, I'm assuming some sort of firebomb. Frank and Jesse's younger half-brother, Archie Samuels, was killed in the blast and their mother, Zerelda, was injured so badly that part of her right arm was amputated.
In 1882 when Jesse James was shot at his home in nearby St. Joseph, MO, he was buried on the property outside his mother's bedroom window so she could see his gravesite. The last years of Frank's life were spent at the farm where he died in 1915. Prior to Frank's death, his trusty horse, Dan, died and was buried on the property. Finally, it is said that in 1959 Frank's son, Robert James lived and died at the James Farm.
The museum does indeed have a ton of artifacts including the framed picture Jesse was dusting when he was shot in the back of the head, the feather duster, the boots he wore, his original casket, numerous pistols and rifles, and tons more. The paranormal buzzword for this type of thing is "trigger objects". There is a high probability the museum is haunted due to these choice items.
But unfortunately some of these stories don't hold true anymore. Jesse James body was exhumed in 1902 and moved a few miles away to Mount Olivet Cemetery. According to death certificate, Frank's son, Robert, died in Clay County but at an International Order of Odd Fellows hospital. Some of the items at the museum may not be authentic although great care has gone into making sure they have actual artifacts. Dan the horse is most likely buried on the property and one of his horseshoes in cement on the path to the house is his last known physical evidence.
There are stories online from former employees that worked at the James Farm about feeling a presence, seeing lights on in the farmhouse after hours, sounds of Civil War gunfire, and so on. I'm always wary of people that "feel a presence" because you can't really prove that. I have been on the farmhouse tour and I don't recall seeing lights up there, unless they are talking about "orbs" floating around the house. As for gunfire, Kearney is a small town kind of out in the country, so I wouldn't be too freaked out about hearing gunfire. Besides what differentiates Civil War gunfire from regular gunfire?
With all this being said, the main reason to not believe any of these haunting stories is simply this. The museum does not allow any photography or video inside the farmhouse. Apparently this is at the request of the family. Sure, there are a few pics online, but not many. There are plenty of pictures and video of the exterior, Jesse James' original gravesite, the surrounding property, and slave shack. But nothing inside. So if they do not allow pictures or video inside the farmhouse, I highly doubt they would allow a paranormal team inside to investigate either the farmhouse or the museum with all the family artifacts. It may have activity happening, but until the place is properly investigated, we will never know.
