Summerwind
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46°11′55″N 89°25′18″W / 46.1986°N 089.4216333°W
Summerwind, formerly known as Lamont Mansion, is a ruined mansion on the shores of West Bay Lake in Vilas County, Wisconsin. As a result of abandonment, and the effects of the elements, little of the mansion remains standing. Located on private land, its ruins are closed to the public. The mansion was featured on an episode of A Haunting.
History
Origins
Summerwind was built in the early 20th century as a fishing lodge on the edge of West Bay Lake in Vilas County, in northeastern Wisconsin. In 1916 it was purchased by Robert Patterson Lamont, who employed Chicago architects Tallmadge and Watson to substantially remodel the property and convert it into a mansion.[1] The renovations took two years to complete, and led to the near total reconstruction of significant portions of the property.
1940s-1960s
During the 1940s, the property was sold to the Keefer family.[1] After the death of Mr. Keefer, his widow subdivided the land and sold it. The plot containing Summerwind reverted to Mrs. Keefer several times after several purchasers were unable to keep up payments.[1] During this period no paranormal incidents were recorded, but purchasers reported unease about the property, and it remained largely unoccupied.[2]
1970s
After remaining vacant for 40 years, the house became the residence of Arnold and Ginger Hinshaw and their four children, who moved in during the summer of 1969.[2] Within six months of moving into Summerwind, Arnold suffered a breakdown. Arnold received treatment and Ginger moved in with her parents in Granton, Wisconsin. The land, once again, reverted to Mrs. Keefer.[2] Years later, Ginger's father, Raymond Bober, announced plans to buy Summerwind and turn it into a restaurant with the help of his wife, Marie, and son, Karl.[3] By 1979 Bober abandoned his plans to convert Summerwind, and the land again reverted to Mrs. Keefer. Bober published an account of his experiences at Summerwind in 1979, under the pseudonym “Wolffgang Von Bober”.[2] In November 2005 the Discovery Channel aired an episode of A Haunting about the Hinshaws' experiences when they lived at Summerwind.
1980s – present
After Bober relinquished the property, it was sold one more time, but again reverted to Mrs. Keefer. In 1986, by which time the mansion had fallen into disrepair, Summerwind was purchased from the estate of Mrs. Keefer by a group of three investors. Later, the land and the ruins were sold to a Canadian family, who live in Richmond Hill, Ontario.[citation needed] Today, only the house's chimney stacks, foundations, and stone steps remain.
See also
References
- ^ a b c Von Bober, Raymond H. (2005). "Summerwind Mansion: A Brief History". Retrieved 2006-10-01. [unreliable source?]
- ^ a b c d Von Bober, Wolffgang (1979). The Carver Effect: A Paranormal Experience. Stackpole Books. ISBN 0-8117-0329-0.
- ^ Balousek, Marv (2000-11-15). 101 Wisconsin Unsolved Mysteries. Badger Books. ISBN 1-878569-70-8.
Hollatz, Tom, and Seal Dwyer. The Haunted Northwoods. East Peoria, IL: North Star Press of St. Cloud, Inc., 2000.
Further reading
- Hauck, Dennis William (1994). Haunted Places, the National Directory: A Guidebook to Ghostly Abodes, Sacred Sites, UFO Landings, and Other Supernatural Locations. New York: Penguin. ISBN 0-9637914-1-9
- Scott, Beth & Michael Norman (1985). Haunted Heartland. Madison, WI: Stanton & Lee. ISBN 0-88361-092-2
- Von Bober, Wolfgang (1979). The Carver Effect: A Paranormal Experience. Harrisburg, PA: Stackpole Books. ISBN 0-81170-329-0