Bought about four years ago, 405 North Mayflower Road, also notoriously known as “Schweppe Mansion,” resides on Lake Michigan in Lake Forest. Situated on 5 acres, the manor includes 10 bedrooms, 11 bathrooms, and — of course — a beautiful lake view and private access to the lake, the Schweppe Mansion seems like the perfect English-styled home to live in; only in the eyes of those unaware of its haunted history.
Built in 1917, Schweppe Mansion was gifted to Laura and Charles Schweppe for their wedding by Laura’s father, Marshall Field Chairman John G. Shedd. The estate remained vacant for over 40 years until the late 80s. However, along with grand architecture and 24,500 square feet comes an eerie tale. In 1937, Laura Schweppe passed away and left a portion of her fortune to her husband, according to The Lake Forest Patch. Soon after, Charles Schweppe committed suicide in his bedroom upstairs. Curbed Chicago states, he left a note saying, ‘I’ve been awake all night. It’s terrible.” Real Haunted Houses claims that servants and Charles Schweppe haunt the halls of the manor to this day.
Suspiciously, Schweppe Mansion‘s famous realtor denied being interviewed under a non-disclosure agreement. She revoked the haunting of the estate and suggested an article on pumpkin patches or community Halloween events would be more appealing.
A lifelong resident of Lake Forest Deborah Moore reminisced on her past experiences with Schweppe Mansion: “My grandma and grandpa knew the daughter of the Schweppe family. They had owned a really nice swimming pool that used to belong to the house. Now, it belongs to the neighboring house. We used to swim in that a lot.” Although Moore is one generation after the original Schweppe family, her personal experience of summers at the mansion highlights the long-standing history of the home and untouched vintage design. Moore said, “It’s a beautiful house, overlooks the lake, and the pool has a cliff that we would jump or dive off of.”
Although some may be skeptical of the ghosts and hauntings of the Schweppe Mansion, statistics and evidence prove otherwise. According to Zillow, Schweppe Mansion was listed for 9.4 million dollars in 2018. However, it took two years and a 4.4 million dollar price reduction to sell the 24,500 square foot estate. The only logical explanation that accompanies these factors is the burden of living in a spectacular lake house with hauntings.
If you are bored on Halloween, and find yourself driving down North Mayflower Road, do not be alarmed if a mysterious man is walking down the street in old-fashioned attire. Do not judge his exhaustion, as the reason why Schweppe Mansion is haunted, and Charles Schweppe haunts the halls of the manor, is because he has been awake all night. “It’s terrible.”
