Rengstorff house haunted? Rengstorff house haunted? (October 24, 2003)

By Candice Shih

In every town, there's one house rumored to be haunted. It's always huge, deserted and a source of curiosity for young boys and girls.

In Mountain View, it happens to be located at a park on top of a landfill.

Since it was restored in 1991, the Rengstorff House may not have been the favorite haunt of ghostly spirits and wailing banshees, but that's what it will look like on Oct. 26.

From 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., the "R" House, located at Shoreline Park, will host candlelit tours and a spirited retelling of the tale of one of Mountain View's colorful characters.

The story will focus on artist Howard Streight (1836-1912), whose landscape oil painting was donated to the city's Visual Arts Committee in 1994.

"It was reported that he used to paint in a séance, in a trance. So we're going to reenact that," said Ginny Kaminski, program coordinator for Shoreline.

Streight's 35-inch by 50-inch painting of Gray's Peak in Colorado hangs above the fireplace in Kaminski's office.

"We're telling the story of the painting," she said, and then paused. "I don't want to give everything away."

According to Kaminski, there were also reports of a tall, dark-haired lady in front of the window when the house was supposed to be vacant, and transients who used to live there told her ghosts tried to force them out.

"People would come and tell me things, just in conversation," said Kaminski. "They would say, 'I have feelings about the house.'"

The Rengstorff House, a white, two-story Victorian, was built in 1867 by early Mountain View settler Henry Rengstorff.

The ghost tour, the first at Rengstorff House, is a fundraiser for the Friends of the "R" House who are planning to build a historical water tank next to the property.

The "R" House ghost tour is not recommended for children under 9. Tickets are $10 per person and can be reserved by calling Ginny Kaminski at 903-6073.

E-mail Candice Shih at cshih@mv-voice.com