And that which we call a mansion by any other name would be as haunted?
Although all that remains of the once beautiful home is the chimneys and the foundation, it is still referred to as Summerwind Mansion. The property is surrounded by myth and legend leading most people to believe it has always been known as Summerwind.
Except it hasn't...
The home now known as Summerwind Mansion was originally built by John H. Frank. Mr. Frank turned his homestead into a summer camp resort that consisted of one main lodge and four cabins. He named his camp West Bay Lake Resort and advertised in various new papers, including Kansas City, MO.
West Bay Lake Resort 1913 Newspaper ad
Robert P. Lamont purchased the camp and property, turning it into a summer home for his family around 1917. The Lamont family referred to the property as Lilac Hills due to the large lilac bushes around the home. It was Lamont that had the home completely remodeled into what has become the mansion so widely recognized today.
Summerwind Mansion was not a household name and was not known as Summerwind until after December 1979 and it was started with one man deciding to write a book.
In the 1970's, America was gripped with paranormal obsession. The obsession had begun in earnest with "The Exorcist" Madness in 1975. No, madness is not a word I just threw in there for shock value. The Exorcist Madness is a well-documented phenomenon that occurred after the release of the movie.
West Bay Lake Resort 1913 Newspaper ad
Robert P. Lamont purchased the camp and property, turning it into a summer home for his family around 1917. The Lamont family referred to the property as Lilac Hills due to the large lilac bushes around the home. It was Lamont that had the home completely remodeled into what has become the mansion so widely recognized today.
Summerwind Mansion was not a household name and was not known as Summerwind until after December 1979 and it was started with one man deciding to write a book.
In the 1970's, America was gripped with paranormal obsession. The obsession had begun in earnest with "The Exorcist" Madness in 1975. No, madness is not a word I just threw in there for shock value. The Exorcist Madness is a well-documented phenomenon that occurred after the release of the movie.
Time Magazine Article dated February 11, 1974:
"Exorcist Fever
In a quiet Beverly Hills, Calif., neighborhood, residents have been awakened at dawn as thousands of people gather for an 8 a.m. showing at a theater seating 1,450. Every day 5,000 moviegoers stand in the long queue wrapped around the Sack 57 Cinema in Boston. Four Manhattan theaters have lines extending for blocks from noon to midnight. In its first five weeks, The Exorcist (TIME, Jan. 14-21) has rung up more than $10 million at box office cash registers in 20 cities. Glowing —and gloating—Warner Bros, executives predict that it will easily top the all time money maker ."
And it is still a top, all-time money maker. "The Exorcist" had broke records that no one had dreamed possible. In the mist of all of this, Bodyguards had to be hired to protect Linda Blair from religious leaders who felt the film glorified Satan. A PR campaign followed the film, including a public tour explaining that it was in fact, JUST A MOVIE and she wasn't actually possessed. America appears to have lost all reasoning ability with the release of this film: moviegoers fainted, vomited and checked themselves into mental hospitals around the country. Medical case studies followed. What also followed was a lot of money.
On the heels of "The Exorcist" release was the releasing of the now controversial book, "Amityville Horror". By summer of 1979 "Amityville Horror " had gone through 12 publishings, sold over 6 million copies and released a movie by the same name. This was all just the beginning of a huge and very successful money making franchise.
The public couldn't get enough Paranormal and in December 1979, Wolfgang Von Bober published "The Carver Effect ", thus etching the name of Summerwind Mansion into minds for eternity. Unfortunately, "The Carver Effect" was not the commercial success that "The Exorcist" and "Amityville Horror" had become but it did put a little-known home in Land O' Lakes, Wisconsin on the map.
The mansion has changed hands several times in the more recent history. Many stories have been told about the property. Sadly, it is the same tired stories told again and again. They do seem to become more embellished as new storytellers enter the scene.
Through the years and all of the books that have been published, I have seen very little citations recorded on the sources for the information regarding Summerwind Mansion. That is where I started with my research. Not only did I want to know the actual history of this beautiful property, I wanted to know what or who was the original source. I had to trace it down for myself and decide if I considered the source to be credible. I have now made my decision, although I continue to track down forks in the road that I have found along the way.. However, you will have to make your own decision. You may follow the links and information to make your own educated decision or you can continue to be spoon-fed the same old tired stories.
The mansion has changed hands several times in the more recent history. Many stories have been told about the property. Sadly, it is the same tired stories told again and again. They do seem to become more embellished as new storytellers enter the scene.
Through the years and all of the books that have been published, I have seen very little citations recorded on the sources for the information regarding Summerwind Mansion. That is where I started with my research. Not only did I want to know the actual history of this beautiful property, I wanted to know what or who was the original source. I had to trace it down for myself and decide if I considered the source to be credible. I have now made my decision, although I continue to track down forks in the road that I have found along the way.. However, you will have to make your own decision. You may follow the links and information to make your own educated decision or you can continue to be spoon-fed the same old tired stories.
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