The ruins of the Summerwind Mansion (also known as the Lamont Mansion) on West Bay Lake in Vilas County, Wisconsin, are a compelling mixture of natural beauty, tragedy, and folklore. Built in the early 20th century, Summerwind has become one of Wisconsin’s most infamous haunted places — partly through legend, partly through reported paranormal activity, and partly through its ruinous fate. Below is a closer look at what is known, what is claimed, and what remains.
Origins and Early History
The property began life as a fishing lodge on West Bay Lake. In 1916, Robert Patterson Lamont — a businessman who later became U.S. Secretary of Commerce under President Herbert Hoover — purchased the lodge and set about converting it into a summer home. Lamont’s renovation was extensive, reportedly hiring Chicago architects and using it as a retreat during summers. The home was large, styled in a Victorian lodge hybrid, with multiple rooms, servants’ quarters, and lake access.
For decades, it stood as a proud summer estate, a quiet retreat in the wooded lakes of northern Wisconsin. But over time, strange stories began to circulate that would forever change the mansion’s reputation.
The Legends and Haunting Tales
What really transformed Summerwind from an elegant lakeside mansion into a haunted legend were the many supernatural stories — some first-hand, some hearsay — that have gathered around it over time.
The Lamont Encounter
According to legend, servants complained of hearing voices or seeing strange apparitions. One night, Lamont himself allegedly heard disturbances coming from the basement. He descended with a gun and fired two shots at what he thought was an intruder — only to find no physical person, but bullet holes in the basement door. The tale has been repeated for decades, though documentation is scarce.
The Hinshaw Family
In 1969, Arnold and Ginger Hinshaw moved into the mansion with their children. They claimed nearly immediate paranormal activity — shadowy figures, voices in empty rooms, doors or windows opening by themselves, cold spots, and unexplained mechanical failures. Over time, the reports became more dramatic: Ginger allegedly attempted suicide, Arnold suffered a breakdown, and the family fled after only six months in the house.
The Carver Effect
Another strange chapter comes from Ginger’s father, Raymond Bober, who later purchased the property. Writing under the pen name Wolfgang von Bober, he published a book in 1979 claiming that the mansion was haunted by the ghost of 18th-century explorer Jonathan Carver. According to the tale, Carver’s spirit was seeking a hidden deed that would prove a massive land grant over northern Wisconsin and Minnesota. While historians doubt the existence of such a deed, the story fueled the mansion’s haunted reputation.
Skepticism and Local Views
While the tales are rich and eerie, much of what is claimed lacks independent verification. Historical records do not corroborate the dramatic stories, and nothing in Lamont’s personal papers confirms any ghostly encounters.
Locals have often said that before the stories were popularized in books and magazines, they did not view the house as haunted. It was only after the mansion was featured in a 1980 Time magazine spread on haunted houses that the legend truly spread across the nation. Some of the more sensational claims — such as rooms changing shape, tools vanishing and reappearing, or skeletons being discovered — stem largely from anecdotal accounts rather than documented evidence.
Decline, Destruction, and What Remains
By the 1970s, after the Hinshaw family’s flight, the mansion was rarely used and soon fell into disrepair. With vandalism and neglect mounting, local authorities considered tearing it down in the mid-1980s.
But fate intervened. On June 19, 1988, the mansion was struck by lightning during a storm and caught fire. The blaze consumed most of the wooden structure, leaving behind only stone foundations, chimneys, and crumbling stairways.
Today, Summerwind is a ruin. It sits on private property, inaccessible to the public, its remains slowly being reclaimed by the forest. The crumbled stone walls and overgrown site have only added to the mystique.
Location
Summerwind Mansion once stood on the southern shore of West Bay Lake, near the small border town of Land O’ Lakes, in Vilas County, Wisconsin. The location is part of the scenic Northwoods, an area known for its dense forests, clear lakes, and remote wilderness.
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To the north, Land O’ Lakes straddles the Wisconsin–Michigan border, making Summerwind only a few miles from Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.
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To the east, the larger town of Eagle River lies about 20 miles away, a popular destination known as the “Snowmobile Capital of the World.”
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To the west, the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest spreads across northern Wisconsin, providing a backdrop of rugged pines and hidden lakes.
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Directly on West Bay Lake, the mansion had lakefront access and seclusion, shielded from roads by thick forest.
This remote placement — close enough to small towns but isolated on the lakefront — created the perfect atmosphere for ghost stories. Even today, maps of Vilas County show West Bay Lake dotted with cabins and retreats, but the site where Summerwind once stood remains private property, inaccessible to curious explorers.
Why Summerwind Endures in Legend
Even though the mansion is gone, Summerwind continues to captivate imaginations. Its legend endures for several reasons:
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Atmospheric Setting – Nestled deep in the Wisconsin Northwoods, along the quiet shores of West Bay Lake, the mansion’s isolated location seems tailor-made for ghost stories.
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Uncertain Evidence – Because accounts differ and little can be proven, every telling of the Summerwind story allows for embellishment. This ambiguity helps the legend live on.
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Pop Culture Amplification – Books, television shows, and articles have kept Summerwind’s reputation alive long after its destruction. It has been featured in paranormal documentaries and often cited among America’s most haunted places.
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The Power of Ruins – The remains of Summerwind — scorched chimneys, broken steps, and moss-covered stones — give the legend physical weight. Ruins always invite speculation and whispers of what might still linger there.
Conclusion
Summerwind Mansion is a haunting mix of fact and folklore. There was a mansion, there was a prominent owner in Robert Lamont, and there was a fire that destroyed it. But whether ghosts, apparitions, or the restless spirit of Jonathan Carver truly roamed its halls remains in the realm of legend.
What Summerwind demonstrates most is the power of storytelling. From whispered encounters to full-fledged books and magazine spreads, tales have built Summerwind into something larger than life. Today, it stands not just as a ruin on a lakeshore in Wisconsin, but as a lasting symbol of how places can be haunted not only by spirits — but also by the stories we tell about them.
🕯️ Summerwind Mansion Fact Box
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Location: West Bay Lake, near Land O’ Lakes, Vilas County, Wisconsin
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Original Use: Fishing lodge, later converted to summer mansion
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Built/Expanded: 1916 (by Robert Patterson Lamont)
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Alternate Name: Lamont Mansion
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Notable Legends: The Lamont shooting, the Hinshaw family haunting, the Carver Effect
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Abandoned: Early 1970s
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Destroyed: June 19, 1988 (fire caused by lightning)
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Current Status: Private property; ruins remain (chimneys, stone foundations, stairways)
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Reputation: One of Wisconsin’s most famous haunted sites
