825 Carrico Road: Rich with History, not Bubbleheads

Shannon Howard | Jul 12, 2010 | Comments 12

Enveloped by acres of rolling woodland in the Old Jamestown area, 825 Carrico Road is a vintage charmer just waiting for some TLC.

For people who love old houses, there’s nothing quite as magical as a house that time forgot. Decades may have passed but virtually nothing has changed, leaving behind a vivid snapshot of an earlier era and a curious mystery that must be peeled back layer by layer.

It’s incredibly rare to find a house like this, where water still comes from a cistern and the vintage decor is perfectly preserved. That’s why I was thrilled to discover 825 Carrico Road, a circa-1905 farmhouse in the heart of the beautiful Florissant Karst, where sixty years have glided by with barely a blip.

Frank and Melba Neuberger bought the 12-acre property in 1947, when the Old Jamestown area was still just a rural farming community. They also owned an adjacent 11.5 acres, just a short distance from the Missouri River, and both eventually spent their entire lives on Carrico Road.

Melba died in 2004 after 57 years there. Frank, who made his living selling cemetery plots and real estate, recently died at the age of 99 after staying there until 2006.

“My aunt and uncle were just good, kind-hearted people,” says John Goessmann, the Neubergers’ nephew. “They had lots of friends in the area who were always looking out for them, and they really loved the peace and quiet in that little valley of theirs.”

Janet Lueke, whose aunt and uncle, Catherine and Hubert Poeling, owned 825 Carrico before the Neubergers and raised pigs there, says it’s amazing how little the property has changed over the years. “It used to have an outhouse, but other than that, it looks pretty much the same,” she says.

“Back then, there just weren’t many houses around here,” says Lueke, 68, who still lives near Carrico Road. “This is definitely one of the older ones.”

Deed records show that Howard and Hattie Carrico actually lived in the home during the 1930s, but whether the Carrico family (who were big landowners in the area) played a part in its construction is a mystery. A 1909 map names J.M.D. Alben as the property owner, but so far, I haven’t found firm evidence that he’s the one who built the house.

What I do know is that the Neubergers dramatically altered the home’s original facade in 1948, removing the front porch and adding a side garage and side porch – in my opinion, making it better. I also know that despite the sinkholes, hidden caves and thick, haunting woods that surround 825 Carrico and most of Old Jamestown, there are absolutely no “bubbleheads” to be found here.

As you may know, Carrico Road is the “Bubblehead Road” of urban legend, where deformed inbreeds supposedly attack trespassers. And yes, the Neuberger house sits in an isolated hollow that could easily spook you at night. But ask the locals about bubbleheads and they insist it’s nothing but a silly myth perpetuated by teenagers.

“I have no idea where that got started,” Janet Lueke says with a laugh. “I grew up on Shackelford and have lived in this area my whole life, and I can tell you we never heard of bubbleheads when I was in school. There’s no truth to it at all.”

“Absolutely none,” emailed another local resident who asked that I not share his name. “It’s nothing more than some kids trying to scare each other. You know, they found this dark country road, back in the woods, and…there’s your story. Somebody got creative. But I can honestly tell you, I’ve been in this area since 1946 and I have never seen any strange or sickly people wandering around or attacking cars or any of that nonsense. It’s just a nice place…one of the prettiest areas in North County, I think. There are no bubblehead people here.”

At least not now. But Goessmann does recall the story of a family that used to live at the far end of Carrico Road, before his aunt and uncle moved in. Apparently they had a son who suffered from hydrocephalus, or “water on the brain,” and he used to wear a football helmet for protection when playing outside.

But did he attack people or roam the woods? Absolutely not. He was just a little boy with an unfortunate condition. And he’s long gone now.

So there you have it, NOCO fans… the likely source of the Bubblehead legend. Despite what you’ve heard, Carrico Road is not the home of mutants with swollen heads. But it is the site of one very cool old house, which can be yours for just $139,900…

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For more information about 825 Carrico (which could make the sweetest little suburban farm), contact real estate agent Bob Branstetter at (314) 791-3555. A special thanks to him and John Goessmann for providing most of the photos for this story!