A Peek into History at the McConaghy House

I strolled down a paved path underneath the cool shade of a large tree. The McConaghy House stretched out before me, quietly basking in the noontime light.

It had all the features one finds in some storied past: a charming wrap-around patio, large bay windows, blue-tinted eaves and ornate corbels — all perfect subjects for a faded albumen silver print.

I’ve driven past this Victorian-era farmhouse a thousand times, but never once stopped to admire it as the historic San Lorenzo landmark it is.

I wanted to change that.

To commemorate the house’s reopening last Saturday after a full month's hiatus, I rounded up some friends and prepared to step back in time.

The walk to the house along Hesperian Boulevard was intense. After enduring an incessant fury of loud cars and trucks zooming down the busy thoroughfare, I entered through the black iron gates and found myself a world away.  

I climbed the brick stairs and entered the house through the colorful stained glass entryway. The cool, damp air was a shock in comparison to outside’s pleasant 70-degree weather.

Inside, I started to wonder if I was really still in San Lorenzo. Upholstered Victorian-era sofas, black bowler hats and creaky carpeted floors—such an antiquated sight couldn’t possibly exist within minutes of home. Nonetheless, I found it easy to loose myself in the bygone days of picturesque San Lorenzo fruit orchards, quiet dirt roads and sprawling farmlands.

Our Hayward Area Historical Society tour guide, a college-aged woman sporting a black lip ring greeted us. After general introductions, we embarked on a tour of the 12-room, two-story dwelling, delving head first into the life of a middle-class San Lorenzo farming family.   

According to our tour guide, Neal and Sarah McConaghy were Irish immigrants who settled in the area during the Gold Rush. They built their Stick-Eastlake style property in 1886 while living in a home on Grant Avenue. Then they moved in along with their four children, Neal, John, Mary and Archie.

The house was owned and occupied by the McConaghys for over 85 years until John, the youngest son, died at age 100 in 1972. When plans to construct a retail business zone emerged, a group of concerned local residents mobilized to save the historic home from demolition. The Hayward Area Recreation Department eventually purchased the property and was entrusted with transforming the house into a public museum.

The rest, as they say, is history.

Visiting each room was like checking off a list of endless Victorian-era artifacts, some of which belonged to the McConaghys themselves: An Edward Standard phonograph, hand-painted ceramic vases, a stereoscope with 3-D picture cards used for evening entertainment, rug beaters, family tintypes, women’s bustles, and a Simmons Hardware Co. wood-burning stove.  

I was fascinated by the dining room’s patterned brown wallpaper, peeling at certain edges to reveal a vibrant vermillion hue—a popular wall color of the day.

I found myself imagining how I would fare living within this historic time period. No lightning speed technology, no MacBooks, iPods, microwaves or constant running water. Just the simple, hard-working life of Victorian farmers.

Our tour guide led us up a set of creaky stairs. Ding marks from a McConaghy renovation accident (apparently, the chimney fell though the skylight) are still visible on the mahogany banister.

The bedrooms exemplified the styles of the day. Carved wooden bedsteads and vanities in the master bedroom, delicate lace blouses and pointed-toe lace-up boots in the seamstress’s room. Neal’s former room was re-decorated with more dainty feminine accents—flowered wall paper and all—after he died in a tractor accident.

Mary’s room displayed her impressive still life fruit paintings. Pull back the lace curtain and the window view reveals the very orange trees used for artistic inspiration.

Down the hall in the well-lit bathroom, a peculiar elephant trunk toilet and shiny claw-foot bathtub.

As we entered Archie’s playroom, a sudden urge possessed me. Perhaps it was one too many episodes of Ghost Hunters, or simply a deep-rooted fascination with beyond-the-grave entities that led me to ask if the McConaghy house was haunted. Our tour guide gave an uncomfortable chuckle. Yes, your occasional friendly neighborhood ghost does make an appearance now and again, but, our tour guide added, “We docents don’t like to talk about it while in the house. Apparently it upsets the spirits.”

A very old Victorian home meets mysterious and otherworldly intrigue. This was the icing on the cake to a rather enchanting visit.  

With that, we thanked our tour guide and headed downstairs. With my curiosity fully satisfied, we left the property through the black iron gate and stepped out into the present day.

The bustle of zipping cars were no longer a nuisance. The sun was shining, the air was warm.

What a beautiful day to immerse myself in San Lorenzo’s past, to overwhelm the senses and emerge with a new appreciation for the trailblazers who lent a hand in building fascinating local legacy.

The McConaghy House is located at 18701 Hesperian Blvd., next to Kennedy Park. Open Saturday., 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Sunday, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is $5 for adults, $3 for students. Visit
www.haywardareahistory.org/plan_visit/mcconaghy_house.