Vanderlip Mansion

Informant:

T.N.  had a very unique upbringing in that her father was in the Air Force, which caused her family to relocate extremely often. When she was young, her younger sister tragically died of leukemia at the age of five, and her father soon died in an airplane accident. Her mother remarried afterwards to another Air Force veteran who then worked in real estate, which also led to several relocations. T. N.  grew up all around the United States but spent most of her time in Tampa Bay, Florida until she moved to Indian Wells, California for her Senior year of high school before matriculating to USC. She now resides in Palos Verdes Estates, California.

Folklore:

“The legend is quite fascinating, as you know. The Vanderlips are an extremely wealthy and influential family who were instrumental in starting the city of Palos Verdes. Frank Vanderlip was an extremely wealthy banker in the… late 1800s to early 1900s, I believe. He is famous for many things, but in this particular legend, Mr. Vanderlip… as he was known… lived in an enormous mansion that he constructed atop the Palos Verdes Peninsula. Legend has it that his entire family lived in the estate with him, and while several stories are different, the most popular says that… His daughter started to date a young black man. Mr. Vanderlip was not okay with this at the time, and when he found out about their relationship, he supposedly had the man hung in his front yard from the trees. Obviously I don’t know if this is true… I have also heard legends that he killed his daughter for becoming pregnant with the man’s child as well. Either way, the Vanderlip Mansion is supposedly haunted to this day. However, I’m not so sure… I have met his granddaughter several times who still lives at the house. She’s trying to sell it, but is obviously having a hard time.”

Analysis:

I have actually visited the Vanderlip Mansion with my friends late at night. It is extremely hard to access, as it is behind a gated community, so you must have the code to enter. It is then up an extremely long, windy path. When you arrive, it is easy to see how creepy the Vanderlip estate is. It is unruly, and looks like it was abandoned years ago. We did not have the guts to exit our vehicle. It exudes your typical haunted house vibe. While I am unsure if it is haunted, it is certainly creepy. What gives credibility to the report, however, is the several police reports that have been filed on the Vanderlip mansion about paranormal activity. Each report seems to go hand in hand with the other. It is certainly a mystery… But I’m not exactly willing to solve it. A team of “ghost busters” has tried unsuccessfully several times, as they don’t have permission from the city or the landowners.