The Ghosts of Summerwind

Episode of Morbid · November 12, 2026 · 58 min

Morbid hosts Alaina Urquhart and Ash Kelley recount the haunting legend of Summerwind, a Wisconsin mansion tied to the Hinshaw family and explorer Jonathan Carver.

Summary

The episode opened with banter about a holiday vanilla Coke and an extended discussion of the current season of Dancing with the Stars, in which Ash Kelley cheered contestant Tatiana's survival and argued that former professional dancers should not compete against non-dancers.

Alaina Urquhart then narrated the story of Summerwind, the former Lamont Mansion on West Bay Lake, Wisconsin, built in 1916 by Robert Lamont. Ginger Hinshaw and her husband Arnold bought the long-empty house around 1970 despite local warnings and contractors' refusal to work there. The family reported apparitions, a window that reopened by itself, malfunctioning appliances, and what Arnold believed were human bones in a crawl space, which they did not report. Arnold's personality reportedly changed: he played the organ through the night, lashed out at the children, killed the family's pet raccoon, lost his business, and was hospitalized. Ginger attempted suicide, left with the children, and later divorced him.

Ginger's father Raymond nonetheless bought the house to turn into a restaurant and inn, with his son Carl, a Vietnam veteran, doing renovations. Carl fled after hearing gunshot-like sounds and seeing a figure, echoing a legend that Lamont once fired at an apparition. Under hypnosis by Ginger, Carl spoke in a menacing voice and Raymond described a hidden land grant belonging to explorer Jonathan Carver; the family found an empty cavity in the basement wall. Raymond later sold the house and wrote The Carver Effect, and a Life magazine feature drew ghost hunters and vandals. The house burned in 1988 after lightning strikes; Urquhart noted that researcher Craig Nehring's claim that locals set the fire was unsupported. The hosts suggested mental illness and trauma as possible explanations at points.

The episode closed with Kelley's fun fact about the Brazilian wandering spider, whose bite can cause priapism but is rarely fatal with treatment, and a mention that warming is making spiders larger and more numerous.

Chapters

0:00
Opening banter
The hosts joke about a neck pillow and a holiday vanilla Coke.
3:29
Dancing with the Stars talk
Kelley and Urquhart discuss the current Dancing with the Stars season, cheering Tatiana and criticizing professional dancers as contestants.
7:08
Introducing Summerwind
Urquhart introduces the case and Ginger Hinshaw's 1969 discovery of the Lamont Mansion in West Bay Lake, Wisconsin.
12:13
Buying the haunted house
The Hinshaws buy the mansion despite local warnings, rename it Summerwind, and cannot find contractors willing to work there.
15:26
Bones in the crawl space
Arnold finds what he believes are human remains behind a wall, and the couple decide not to call police.
19:22
Arnold's decline
Arnold becomes obsessed with the organ, turns cruel toward the children, and the family witnesses apparitions.
Linked moment · 28:00Skip to 28:00 using a listen link in the info box.
28:00
The family flees
Arnold is hospitalized, Ginger attempts suicide, her father takes the family away, and the couple divorces.
31:31
Raymond buys Summerwind
Ginger's father Raymond buys the house for a restaurant project, and his son Carl flees after a terrifying encounter.
40:36
Hypnosis sessions
Ginger hypnotizes Carl and Raymond, producing an angry voice and a vision of a hidden land grant.
46:30
Jonathan Carver and the missing deed
Urquhart explains Carver's historical background and the family's unsuccessful search for the deed.
49:52
The book, the fame, and the fire
Raymond writes The Carver Effect, the house becomes a ghost-hunting destination, and it burns in 1988.
53:34
Spider fun fact and sign-off
Kelley shares facts about the Brazilian wandering spider and growing spider populations before closing the show.

People

In the conversation

Alaina UrquhartCo-host of Morbid, autopsy technician and author of the Butcher novels
Ash KelleyCo-host of the true crime podcast Morbid

Discussed

Ginger HinshawWoman who bought Summerwind with her husband Arnold around 1970 and reported paranormal events there
Arnold HinshawProperty developer and Ginger's husband whose behavior reportedly changed drastically at Summerwind
April HinshawGinger's daughter, who later described the family's experiences in the house
Robert P. LamontBuilder of the mansion in 1916 and later U.S. Secretary of Commerce under Herbert Hoover
Jonathan Carver18th-century explorer and mapmaker of the American Midwest linked to the Summerwind legend
Raymond BoberGinger's father, who bought Summerwind and wrote The Carver Effect
Craig NehringWisconsin paranormal researcher who claimed locals set the 1988 fire
Jenna DewanActress and dancer competing on Dancing with the Stars
Janet JacksonAmerican singer and dancer whose song inspired Holland's dancing

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From the publisher

When Ginger Hinshaw first saw Summerwind in the summer of 1969, she knew she had to have the house. Recently remarried and looking for a new home for her large family, she convinced her husband, Arnold, to buy the house and the two planned to renovate the place together, since all of their resources were tied up in the house. Ginger couldn’t believe her luck, but very soon after moving in, Ginger’s luck seemed to have run out. When the Hinshaws moved into Summerwind, they were the picture of a happy American family. But just a few months later, Arnold’s personality had changed entirely, as the house began to possess him and take him over completely. In time, the marriage fell apart and the family fled the house, but that was only the beginning.

Summary, chapters and key points were generated from the episode transcript on November 13, 2026. Quotes are checked word for word against the transcript.

Categories: History·Spirituality·Society & Culture