[MSquared]

I thought about posting in the real ghost story section, but this is an urban legend.

In Rancho Palos Verdes, California there is a big private gated community. At the top of the hill that the community is on, there is a huge mansion that is said to be “Vanderlip Mansion.” There are 2 stories that I have heard as I was growing up.

Frank A. Vanderlip created the whole city of Palos Verdes, and he and his family were very wealthy and high class (this part is true).

Urban legend #1- Vanderlip’s daughter fell in love with an African American man, which was considered very bad for a white person to do back then. Vanderlip forbade the relationship from happening between his daughter and her black lover, but she did it anyway, and she later became pregnant with his child. Vanderlip built an insane asylum across the street from his house, and put his daughter in there, and killed her lover and her baby. Vanderlip’s daughter committed suicide, and it is said that she still haunts the Vanderlip mansion. I don’t know if it’s true or not, I thought I would share it with you all.

Urban legend #2- the wealthy Vanderlip family lived in a mansion in PV, one day the wife, Narcissa, went crazy and chopped up her family and buried them in the walls of the house. She also killed her two dogs and then hung herself from a wooden beam in the living room ceiling. The dogs reportedly haunt the yard and scare away trespassers. The woman and her family still haunt the house itself. Sightings of glowing dogs have been reported and members of the murdered family have been seen in the windows of the abandon house. Sometimes at night you can hear the children crying for help.

Now I realize that theses are urban legends, but curiosity has gotten to me. I always feel that there is a little truth to every legend. I tried to go up there last night, and got stopped at both gates. I’ve gone so far as to map out the driving directions to the mansion. However, it is impossible to get through the gates. Anyone have any suggestions? Anyone ever hear of or been to the house?