Vanderlip Mansion

I explored the outside during daylight with a friend by the name of Jimmy Smack. This is in 1986. He had a friend who was staying there in a one room near the main house situation. She was a semi well known photographer of early punk bands.
She was not there so we casually explored the property. No ghosts that I know but at night I can see how the place could be a time warp. I’ve heard all the tales since I lived in PVE during my youth but I was always skeptical. If you want a strange encounter than explore the nearby cliffs at night. No one hardly mentions the seven miles of cliffs along the coast. That area was occupied for a long time….the longest occupation by the Tongva for thousands of years. Lots of history overlap.

January 2025

Back in the late 60s and early 70s, if a new kid was in town, which would be one of the cities in Los Angelos, you would drive him up to the mansion and try to see the albino black family members chase you back to your car. Never really saw the albinos, but everyone of our friends knew about them.

January 2025

My husband and I were on our first date and were driving around the coast in Palos Verdes back in 1990. It was a foggy night and we both saw a ghost of a man dressed as a rancher or farmer from the 1800s or early 1900s with his horse. We both saw the same thing even though he did not believe in ghosts. I’m wondering if anyone has seen him too. It was not scary at all.

October 2024

I went to South high and everyone used to talk about this place. One night we all meet up and made our way. We go to the gated community and waited for someone to come out and snuck in. We drove up to the drive way in just a few minutes. We parked and began walking up the long driveway. The Gate was locked, it was scary so we decided to turn around. One of my friends had a great idea of jumping the fence to the right. We all agreed, after getting all the girls over the fence we decided to follow along the side of the driveway toward the property. Walking up hill we quickly realize that we had passed the gate where we had turned around, passing what looks like an abandoned horse stable. After passing through some thick bushes, we realize that we are at the back of the property up about midway of the mountain right before the Horse trial, to the left you’d see that gate to the back of the property. We jumped in from there. Although it looks abandoned, you can tell it was very beautiful ,Greek pillars, stone table, long backyard looks like a place where rituals could have taken place. Was very quiet no noise. Nothing scary until a buddy Sal and I decided to walk closer to the house leaving the rest of the group behind. We took our time walking down the backyard stairs. As we got closer to the courtyard we heard a dog bark as if it was very close and then a light turned on in the house prompting Sal and I to run back up the hill. We were about 40 yards away from the rest of the group but we couldn’t signal them because we wanted to stay quite. We never ran as fast in our lives! Jumped over the fence and ran back down the hill, back up over the fence of the drive way and down to the street for our cars. Exciting, scary, real!

August 2024

In the early 1980’s I was Ms Vanderlip’s live in gardener. My room was in the mansion near the pool. Lulu was Ms Vanderlips maid (Lulu is amazing), Beno was the Doberman pincher and a huge sweet dog. I was there one night Gregory Peck visited and Lulu told me I was eating the same food as GP was…..ok haunted? I stayed in that mansion alone more than a few nights and never saw anything or heard anything. Never heard the story of her daughter.

March 2024

Someone llives there now

February 2024

I went there as a visiting nurse in the 70’s - it is indeed the most frightful feeling. The drive to the house from the gates is easy to get lost on, making escape feel impossible. Several dogs who they locked up before I got out of the car. Family had zombie-like flat affects, no small talk, stared at me funny and hovered over me. I couldn’t wait to leave and refused further assignments there

February 2024

So back in the 80's and 90's I would always hear the weirdest stories about this place. It wasn't until the 2000s that I actually went behind the gate. Sure it's really dark, and you get lost very easily, and of course you're going to hear horses because the equestrian club or something is nearby. And people keep horses on their property. However, if you look up vanderlip mansion, he will also see that it's not some abandoned house, but a beautiful mansion, decorated nicely. So what gives? I would hear stories about the Rottweilers with the red eyes whose vocal cords were cut, and how people would get lost trying to escape the property. For how teenage kids from Banning High caught video footage of haunts. Yet I haven't seen any proof. I just figured it was one of those urban legends that high school kids from Banning, San Pedro high, PV High, and Carson would tell. Would I recommend someone trying to get in and go check it out? Sure, why not. Especially if you like a good little scare around Halloween or so. Or late at night. PV is great for a late night drive, especially when you turn off the headlights on that dark road. But be very careful. As for ghosts? I'm sure there's some out there. Especially San Pedro. Lots of tales and history around these places.

October 2023

A family friend and his family took us to see the location. Along the right up to the mansion I took SLS video footage of the entities that are rumored to still haunt the private gated residence. Upon walking to the property, there was allot of activity during the SLS walkthrough outside of the gates. One entity was very aggressive. You could feel the presence of the energy that was around the property. It was an amazing experience and I plan to do a thorough investigation with audio to see if I can communicate with the paranormal happenings of the place. On regular video footage, you can see and here a dog barking. You can also see on the SLS footage hanging a hanging entity and a small child like figure. One entity was very present and that was a great interaction. Love this place and would love nothing more than to go into the location of permitted.

December 2022

When I lived in San Diego some friends from the Los Angeles area told me about the vanderlip mansion. How they used to hold satanic rituals there back in the sixties. They had told me about books that floated in the air and dogs that didn't have bark boxes that would sneak up on you, a big iron gate.They said every time you go to the mansion something weird happens. So I drove up to the mansion one day from San Diego and I saw a dark headed guy driving a older Lincoln mark he looked like a vampire .
anyways I go up to the house and the gate is still open I drive-in and the gate closes on me I turned my car around and I'm standing outside trying to get the gate open and I'm thinking that those dogs are going to sneak up behind me and all the sudden the gate opens up and I get back in the car and drive out. Then when I get down around the Portuguese bend I start to go down the hill the San Pedro traffic stopped all the sudden and I slammed on the brakes. I came about 1" from re-reading the car in front of me.

October 2021