From Walnut Hill to Dunford Place: The Story of a Surviving Country Estate

By Diane Euston

  Nestled well off the street behind a canopy of trees at 10804 Grandview Road sits an historic home with layers of history. The gate and two pillars that greet passerby’s from the street tell a bit of the story – twisted in black wrought iron, scrolled in cursive are the words “Dunford Place.” 

  But behind those gates and past a tree-lined utopia is the home and outbuildings that have miraculously survived past the development of south Kansas City, something that is never a guarantee as real estate speculators snatch up land even today and spit out suburban homes. 

  Its survival was miraculous, and the story behind Dunford Place tells of a time in this area’s history when Kansas Citians with extra cash opted to spend their summers at homes built “in the country.”

  The story of this six-bedroom, five bathroom home that spans over 4,000 square feet begins well before its construction in 1912 and involves a lawyer named Frank P. Smith who once defended some of Kansas City’s most notorious characters before turning his attention to advocating for the working class and organized labor.

A “Proud to be Irish” Couple

  Francis Patrick Walsh began his life in St. Louis on July 20, 1864 where he was the third born of six children to James Walsh (b. 1826) and his wife, Sarah Delaney (b. 1835). His father, born in Ireland, was a produce dealer whose financial standing was shaky due to some bad business deals.

  His early life was spent at Christian Brothers Academy in St. Louis, but when Frank’s father passed away at the age of 45 in 1871, he had to leave school just a few years later. 

  Despite these early challenges, Frank persevered past the odds. The Kansas City Star once wrote, “[Walsh] was successfully a Western Union messenger, a railroad clerk, a stenographer and a student-clerk.”

  Knowing that business opportunities didn’t always come knocking at your door, a young Frank taught himself stenography while working as a railroad clerk, and in 1886, he was hired by the Kansas City firm Lathrop and Smith. In his spare time, he studied books on law that graced the shelves of the law office.

  Just three years after moving to Kansas City, Frank successfully passed the bar and was well on his way to making a comfortable life for himself.

  In October 1891, Frank Walsh married Katherine Marie O’Flaherty at St. Aloysius Church on Prospect. Born in 1866 in Vicksburg, Miss., known as Katie to friends and family, her story is an interesting one. 

  Katie was the daughter of Captain John O’Flaherty (1834-1904), a Union captain and civil engineer who was born in County Kerry, Ireland and his wife, Sarah Ann Gillespie (1833-1914). The couple met and married in Louisiana at the close of the Civil War.

  In 1856, John’s family moved to the Kansas City area where his uncle worked as a civil engineer. They were a handful of the Irish-born men who carved Kansas City out of the bluffs.

  Her father served first as a private in the Missouri First Volunteer Infantry before moving to the 1st Kansas Infantry where he made the rank of corporal. But his real service came later in May 1863 when he transferred as a captain in the 10th Louisiana Infantry.

  This was an all-Black regiment. Since the army didn’t allow for these Black regiments to be controlled by men of color, officers such as Captain John O’Flaherty served in that role.

  After the close of the Civil War, the O’Flaherty’s settled in Vicksburg, Miss. where John worked as a contractor before returning “back to Kansas City” in 1879 to join his brother, a civil engineer who was the first man to pave Truman Road.

  When the couple married, they settled into a home at 915 Prospect and had seven children who lived to adulthood: Frances (b. 1893), Louise (b. 1894), Cecilia (b. 1896), Frank, Jr. (b. 1897), John (b. 1900), Jerome (b. 1903), Virginia (b. 1904) and James (b. 1906).

A Tireless Lawyer and Advocate

  Several high-profile cases landed Frank Walsh in the headlines. In 1898, he defended Jesse James, Jr. (1875-1951), the son of the infamous outlaw, when he was charged with train robbery. 

  On the other side of the bench was James A. Reed (1861-1944), a longtime foe of Walsh’s who was then-acting Jackson County prosecutor. Although both staunch Democrats, the men would later split their political alliances; James A. Reed was a well-known friend of the Pendergast Machine while Walsh was a staunch supporter of Pendergast’s political enemy, Joe Shannon.

  Frank Walsh was described in the 1901 “Encyclopedia of the History of Missouri” as one of the toughest trial lawyers in the state. It states, “Strength of conviction, great earnestness of manners, and vigorous, unaffected oratory, conspire to give him a commanding personality which arrests undivided attention and wins respect and confidence.”

  Jesse James, Jr. was found to be not guilty despite evidence to the contrary; it was one of only two cases James A. Reed would lose in his long career.

  In one of the most sensational cases in Kansas City history, Walsh defended Dr. Bennett Clark Hyde who was charged with poisoning real estate speculator and philanthropist Thomas Swope (1827-1909). Married to Swope’s niece, Dr. Hyde was defended by Walsh from 1909 to 1917 through three different trials.

  He faced off yet again with James A. Reed.

  Even though he was eventually found guilty, Dr. Hyde’s lawyer was able to overturn the conviction and have it declared a mistrial.

  Frank P. Walsh garnered more attention as one of the founding members of the Board of Public Welfare that demanded better living conditions across the city. Despite criticism, especially from longtime nemesis James A. Reed, he was able to make himself into a well-known advocate for marginalized people across the nation.

  In 1913, he was appointed by President Woodrow Wilson to the United States Commission on Industrial Relations established to better understand labor issues that were becoming commonplace. Unafraid and intentionally confrontational on issues dear to his heart, Walsh even investigated the Rockefeller Foundation and found that the mogul was guilty of treating his workers unfairly.

  At the heart of it all, the Irish-Catholic Frank P. Walsh fought tirelessly for the rights of the people. In 1918, he traveled to Ireland on “behalf of Irish freedom” and represented the Irish Free State at a peace conference in Paris.

Home is Where the Heart Is  

  After living for several years on Linwood Boulevard, the Walsh’s opted in 1911 to move into a well-known mansion at 2506 Independence Avenue. Built by wealthy banker John Thomas Beals, the Victorian brick mansion was large enough to raise their children, board their housekeepers and house his mother-in-law.  The largest of the mansions on Independence Avenue, this home became a sanctuary for the family.

  But Frank Walsh wanted more peace in his busy life as a lawyer, and starting in 1908, he began purchasing parcels of land near Hickman Mills. One tract of 202 acres was sold to him for just under $40,000 (about $1.5 million in today’s money). 

  In about 1912, the Walsh’s turned their attention to building a large home on this property on Grandview Road. It was described early-on as being a six-bedroom home with 12 rooms, a sleeping porch, a sun porch and “its own water and electric plant.” It was also built to entertain; the living room was 41 feet long and the exterior was painted white with green shutters. They called the home “Walnut Hill.” 

  Frank’s career was in full-swing when the couple opted in 1918 to move their primary residence to their beautiful, isolated country home.

  This was a big trend at the turn of the last century in cities where those who could afford it would purchase a country home. The Kansas City Journal wrote in October 1926, “The trolley and the automobile have changed the conditions of the city family, for with these swift means of locomotion country homes may be reached within a comparably short time. . . The little rest and fresh air that a business man can secure at his country home in the evenings [protects] him against nervous breakdown. For his family the changes are even more beneficial, especially if he has growing children who absorb from the woods and fields, from the soothing atmosphere of the country home, health and strength and energy.”

  Katie and her children sought refuge at Walnut Hill on Grandview Road while Frank’s appointments to various offices, including serving as joint chairman of the War Labor Board during World War I, led him to live part-time in Washington and then later in New York City.

  In 1922, the Walsh’s sold their Independence Avenue home and lived part-time in New York City and part-time at Walnut Hill on a quaint country road in present-day south Kansas City.

Philanthropy Attached to the Home

  Always keen on philanthropic efforts in Kansas City, the Walsh’s opted to share their home at 10804 Grandview Road with others while they were away. In 1921, the house was used as a summer camp for young working Catholic women and their children living in the city.

  For $2.50 a week, the children would stay at the home during the week, and the women would rejoin their children on the weekends. Sleeping porches and large bedrooms could hold 10 beds, and the tennis courts plus acreage around the house were available to sleep outdoors. 

  The following year, the Catholic Women’s Club of Kansas City sent 50 little girls to the farm.

  In 1925, the couple’s oldest son, Frank, Jr. passed away after a brief illness while living in New York City with his family on Fifth Avenue.

  The event devastated the couple, and Katie Walsh opted to move with her children out of New York and back to their beloved farm on Grandview Road. 

  In that same year, Katie sought out Bishop Thomas Lillis (1861-1938) and asked him to assign a parish priest in the Hickman Mills neighborhood. Due to their prominence in the Catholic community, the Walsh’s had some pull on the matter, and for over a year, mass was said each Sunday in the living room of their home until a proper church could be erected.

  The Walsh’s donated 1.5 acres on the northeast corner of their property and began construction of what became known as St. Catherine of Siena Parish at 4101 E. 110th Terrace. Bishop Lillis believed “[the church] would anticipate the rapid growth of the suburban section of the city.” 

  The parish began with 65 families in the Hickman Mills neighborhood.

  Although his full-time job remained in New York City, Frank worked on some prominent cases along with his son, Jerome, during these years. In 1934, they defended mafia boss John Lazia when he was charged with income tax evasion. Although he was convicted, he never served his sentence; he was murdered outside of his home in a case that remains unsolved.

  Frank’s contributions were numerous. He served as assistant secretary of labor during President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s administration.

  He also defended the International Ladies’ Workers Union in a lengthy litigation against the Donnelly Garment Company, later coined Nelly Don, Inc. The company’s owner, Nelly Donnelly Reed (1889-1991), was married to his longtime nemesis and senator James A. Reed.

  While on recess from this litigation, Frank P. Walsh returned to New York City with his son, Jerome. On May 2, 1939, Frank collapsed outside the federal court building in New York City from a massive heart attack.

  He died in the arms of his son.

  The Kansas City Journal wrote, “A man who has pronounced convictions on social justice, liberalized government and equality before the law, and who sticks to them through thick and thin for four or five decades, may properly be said to possess the materials of greatness. . . It can be said of Frank P. Walsh that in full measure he contributed his share to the firmer establishment of tolerance and understanding among his fellow man.”

  He was brought back to Kansas City for burial at Mount St. Mary’s Cemetery. The funeral took place at St. Catharine’s in the Hickman Mills neighborhood where 600 people attended.

  Success allowed Frank P. Walsh to build Walnut Hill on Grandview Road, and even though he had spent two decades traveling to the east coast, he always considered Kansas City home. He had always been greatly interested in his farm near Hickman Mills and had planned to retire there.

  The Walsh family kept a hold of their home on Grandview Road until 1940; Katie Walsh and her daughter, Virginia moved to a smaller property she built nearby and held onto 298 acres. 

  When Katie died in her little cottage in 1949, the philanthropy of she and her husband were forefront. The newspaper also noted that despite the longtime rivalry between her husband and James A. Reed, Katie was quite close to his first wife. When he was nominated for a senate seat, “Mrs. Walsh sent Senator Reed one of his first congratulatory telegrams.”

New Life for an Old Home

  The home, once coined Walnut Hill by the Walsh’s, was sold with just under 10 acres attached to it to Frank and Ann Bosch who owned an embroidery company. They lived there until they sold the home in 1966 to Dr. Harry “Bud” Overesch (1921-2001) and his wife, Jane Catherine Pitt (1921-2018). 

  Dr. Overesch was a World War II Navy veteran and an orthopedic surgeon; his wife was a nurse who worked in the South Pacific during the war. The couple married in 1951 and had six children.

  When they bought the home, they redecorated and modified it. Carpets were ripped out and the original floors were stained a dark walnut.  In the late 1960s, renovations continued; they painted the barns and outbuildings a robin’s egg blue. 

  They named the home “Dunford Place” and added the wrought-iron detail to the gates.

  The home served this large family well over the years; the carriage house had two bedrooms, and a formal dining room, library, and music room covered the first floor. 

  A screened-in porch on the front was removed and four white pillars were added to the concrete porch. Jane Overesch enhanced one fireplace by adding arches on either side of it.

  In true 1960’s fashion, she added a new floor in the library using “reds and oranges” as color inspiration in order to “offset the dark walls.”

  Both Jane and her husband, Bud, became prolific gardeners. In 1975, the Kansas City Star reported over 550 roses blooming in the yard on two levels that worked to enhance the lily pond and an English garden complete with a tea house.

  When Dr. Overesch passed away in 2001, his widow remained in the home. Worried that someone could possibly divide the acreage and destroy Dunford Place, Jane was proactive in protecting the property.

  In 2005, Jane marched down to the courthouse and put Dunford Place in a land trust, ensuring that the land, about nine acres, couldn’t be subdivided.

  That action likely safeguarded this stately home on Grandview Road so that it could survive for generations to come.

Protecting the Past and Looking to the Future

  It takes a special person to take on an historic home, and Dunford Place needed a serious facelift after several years of neglect.

  And sometimes things happen for a reason.

  Carlene Simmons, an attorney from Arizona, was looking for a fresh start when her daughter announced a move to Kansas City for a job opportunity.

   Prior owners bought the home in 2019 and redid the kitchen, but this was a far cry from all of the repairs that remained untouched. 

   Carlene wanted at least three acres of property, and when she started looking around for a place that fit her needs, Dunford Place popped up on her screen. 

  It was priced way too high, but the house spoke to her. From just the photos online, she felt connected to the place somehow.

  “I fell in love with the home,” Simmons explained. “I loved the fireplaces, the wood floors, the stairs, and the original trim.” 

  But that wood trim was drowning in 100 years of paint. Despite the challenges, Carlene felt this was the right move.

  She purchased Dunford Place in March 2025, virtually unfamiliar with the area and definitely unprepared for the differences Kansas City weather offered in lieu of Arizona.

  An ice storm hit, and she had to get acquainted with tornado sirens. Electric needed redoing, and Ricky the racoon had taken over the carriage house. Gas lines and concrete need attention. The gardens that were once a showpiece of Dunford Place were overgrown.

  But Carlene is up to the challenge, and slowly but surely, she’s bringing Dunford Place back to life. She’s focused on the exterior of the home, working currently to replace wood rot and paint the home back to white with green shutters as it once was under the ownership of the Walsh’s. The ponds are back in good shape with new water features.

  Following in the footsteps of Jane Overesch, Carlene knew it was important to maintain the integrity of Dunford Place. She recently had the home listed on the Kansas City Register of Historic Places. “I just felt it should be protected, and I’m committed to doing all this work to try to get it back to the way it once was. It’s magical,” she said.

  She may not be from Kansas City, but Carlene is now an adopted member as she faces each unique challenge head-on. Once the exterior is preserved, she plans on focusing on redoing three of the six bathrooms that remain unfunctional.

  It seems as if Dunford Place is one of those properties that people either don’t know exists or it’s something that locals have always been curious about. The gates ensure some privacy, and despite the odds, it seems to continue to attract owners who genuinely care about the history and want it to stand for generations to come.

  Other accomplishments of the Walsh’s are now gone. The church they started, St. Catherine of Siena, merged with St. Thomas More in 2023. Their mansion on Independence Avenue was torn to the ground decades ago.

  But Dunford Place will survive, and it remains as one of those lucky few country homes that have escaped the bulldozers. What once began as a private sanctuary coined Walnut Hill for one of the nation’s most powerful lawyers now remains as a gentle reminder of the country homes that once dotted the south Kansas City landscape. 

  Dunford Place is safe, and its history was always worth saving.

*Keep in mind that Dunford Place is private property and be respectful to the owners.