The Shary Mansion, located in Mission, Texas, is one of the Rio Grande Valley’s most iconic landmarks. Built in the early 1900s by John H. Shary, often called the “Father of the Texas Citrus Industry,” the mansion was once a symbol of wealth and success in the region. Over the years, however, it has also become the subject of chilling paranormal tales.
Locals claim the land surrounding the mansion carries an unsettling energy. Stories have circulated for decades about ghostly figures drifting near the orchards, strange lights flickering in the distance, and phantom cars appearing out of nowhere. Some visitors describe hearing footsteps and clanking sounds along the fence line, even when no one else is around.
Whether these encounters are connected to the property’s long history, the Shary family legacy, or something older tied to the land itself, the mansion has earned a reputation as one of South Texas’s eeriest haunts.
“It was back in 1986 when my friends Ernie, Mario, Big Joe, and I decided to park across from the Sharyland Mansion. I still remember that night—we were all in the 11th grade at McHigh. We were drinking by the fence line near the orchards, where you could see a dirt road.
There weren’t any streetlights, but the moon was bright that night. We were jamming to music and drinking when suddenly we heard some clanking noises. We lowered the music and saw a lantern and a white figure moving swiftly toward us from the road, coming in from the side of the orchards.
I shouted, “Let’s get out of here!” As we scrambled to get into Mario’s car, the figure moved faster and suddenly transformed into a white dog, racing toward us. I jumped through the open car window and remember yelling, “Did you guys see what happened to that old man?”
Thinking back, I will never forget that moment. I’ve lived all my life here in McAllen, Texas, and I’ve had two other unexplained experiences—one at the old Edinburg, Texas cemetery, and another where the McDonald’s now stands at Pecan and Ware Road. There used to be a house there where my wife once lived.” Art G.