- This is the second installment of the history of our neighborhood. View more stories about Fisher Park neighborhood’s history!
- Special thanks go to Christopher and Lynn Casey for sharing the history of their home.
- The main photo for this story is of Ms. Sharon Lindsay (1935-2004), the young girl that Sharon Road was named after.
- Remember, if you have interesting memories or documents you want to share for upcoming articles, we are eager to hear from you. Contact us via [email protected].
Story #2 – The Breaking of Ground
Everyone in Orange County has heard of the McFadden’s, but did you know that the Sharon and River Lane Loop is connected to the family? The brothers James McFadden and Robert McFadden moved to California from New York and built the McFadden Wharf and Newport Landing back in 1888. They created the Santa Ana and Newport Railway to move goods in and out of the port and the emerging townsite of Santa Ana and James Irvine’s ranch.
The McFadden’s were early residents of Santa Ana and large landowners at that time, with about 5000 acres in 1870. Robert McFadden’s son was Arthur J. McFadden (born at the house on the corner of Flower and First St.) who was a lifelong friend of James Irvine and would become the first non-family President of the Irvine Company in 1959.
Arthur’s daughter was Edith Eleanor McFadden (1910-1993). In 1931 Edith married William Kenneth Lindsay (1909-1979) and had two daughters Sharon and Hazel, and two sons William and Michael. As the story goes Mrs. Lindsay was gifted the portion of land on the western side of Flower St. by her father as a wedding present.
In 1947 Mr. and Mrs. Lindsay had the entrance road from Flower St. built and the two streets developed as dead ends. The one being named Sharon Road – after their eldest child and the other, River Lane – as it follows Santiago Creek . 1948 saw the first sales of individual lots and the building of twelve* custom homes on River Lane. The Lindsey’s themselves were building on two different half acre lots at the same time (1026 and 1036) and decided to move into the large ranch home at 1036 W. River Lane. They would keep it for 46 years and it would become affectionately known as the “Barn House” due to it’s barn red paint.
The McFadden – Lindsay’s vision of wide roads and unique lots would attract people to build custom homes for years to come including other well known Orange County families like Knott’s, Segerstrom, Luken and Lee.
* 924, 935, 943, 949, 926, 942, 1009, 1026, 1036, 1018, 1010, 1015 West River Lane
