HauntBound archive · catalog record
Reported phenomena, as catalogued
+ 2 further entries on record
1912 senator's estate with documented paranormal phenomena
Bldg. 36, corner of Addor and Bard, NBVC, Port Hueneme, CA 93041
Research updated September 2026
Age
All ages are welcome at Thursday lunch; children are welcome during social hours. The bar is for guests 21 and over. Base access or a sponsor is still required.
Cost
$$
Check venue website for tours
Access
Wheelchair OK
Paved
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1912 · Senatorial Residence · Spanish Colonial Revival Architecture · Port Hueneme Heritage · Military Property
Thomas Bard, a prominent California senator who served in the United States Senate from 1900 to 1905 as a Republican, commissioned the construction of a family mansion in Port Hueneme in 1912. The residence, on the Berylwood estate, represents the architectural grandeur of the Gilded Age, featuring Italian Mediterranean design elements and spanning twelve bedrooms across three stories. The mansion cost $110,000 to construct. Senator Bard died on March 5, 1915, at his Berylwood home in Port Hueneme. Following construction, the mansion served as a private residence until it was leased by the U.S. Navy during World War II. The Navy purchased the property in the early 1950s and it now serves as the Officers Club at Naval Construction Battalion Center Port Hueneme. The building has been documented for its paranormal activity since at least the early 2000s, with multiple investigation teams conducting studies.
Sources
Paranormal activity at Bard Mansion centers on multiple distinct spirits, each with documented behavioral patterns. The most prominent entity is the ghost of Senator Bard's wife, who reportedly inhabits the upper levels of the mansion. Her apparition has been captured in photographs and observed by multiple investigators.
Additional spirits include a band of soldiers, whose presence may be connected to the property's military use. Investigators have documented disembodied whispers and whispered conversations emanating from various rooms, suggesting intelligent haunting characteristics.
A particularly distinctive phenomenon involves a "strange floating white orb" that appears consistently in photographs taken near the stairwell. This orb manifestation has been captured repeatedly across multiple investigations and appears in video footage as well.
Electronic phenomena include lights flickering without electrical explanation, radios activating and the dial adjusting autonomously, and visitors reporting tactile sensations of something brushing against them despite no visible presence.
Paranormal investigation groups have conducted formal studies at the mansion, documenting EVP (electronic voice phenomena) and electromagnetic field anomalies. The mansion has been featured in organized ghost tours that have become a popular Port Hueneme attraction for paranormal enthusiasts.
Notable Entities
Media Appearances
Conduct an extended paranormal investigation within Bard Mansion. Participants investigate the 1912 mansion using modern paranormal research equipment and methodologies to document reported phenomena.
Some links on this page may earn HauntBound a small commission when you book, at no extra cost to you. Our editorial picks are independent. Full disclosure
Every HauntBound history is researched from documented sources. We clearly separate verified historical fact from paranormal folklore.
Free Guide
10 verified stops, rated for families, mapped in order. Free.
One email to confirm, then the guide link. Unsubscribe anytime.
Marietta, OH
The Anchorage, also called Putnam Villa, is an Italianate sandstone mansion completed in 1859 in the Harmar neighborhood of Marietta, Ohio. It was built by industrialist Douglas Putnam for his wife Eliza Putnam, who died there of heart disease in September 1862. Since 1996 it has been owned by the Washington County Historical Society.
Savannah, GA
The Sorrel-Weed House was built around 1840 for shipping merchant Francis Sorrel to a design by architect Charles Cluskey, who moved to Savannah from New York in 1829. The mansion was one of the first two Georgia State Landmarks designated in 1954 and is among the finest Greek Revival and Regency residences in Savannah.
South Bend, IN
The Birdsell Mansion was built in 1898 for J.B. Birdsell, an industrialist connected to South Bend's manufacturing economy. The Victorian property was listed by Indiana Landmarks as one of the state's 10 Most Endangered historic sites, reflecting its deteriorating condition and uncertain future.