Title: Deering Estate: A True Haunted House
General Information about Item: Deering Estate is a 1920s mansion in Miami, Florida said to be built on tribal burial grounds. Recently, it has received a lot of attention for its supposedly paranormal activity. “Ghost hunters” have even visited the state. Deering Estate is within walking distance of my high school.
Genre and Sub Genre:
- Genre: Horror story
- Subgenre: Urban legend
Language: English
Country where Item is from: The United States
Informant Data: Pablo Perez is from Miami, Florida. He is 50 years old. He is married and has three daughters.
Contextual Data: Born and raised in Miami, Pablo has heard a great deal about Deering Estate as a prime location for ghost sightings in the area. The Estate, located on the coast and overlooking the bay, is said to have been built on Native American burial grounds. Today, many tourists visit the site as do many locals. People in the area frequently go for runs near the property at dawn or at dusk because of its picturesque location.
Item: Associated file (a video, audio, or image file)
Transcript of Associated File:
Many of my friends do their early-morning or late-afternoon exercise routines near the premises of Deering Estate. Many have reported hearing drums or chanting from nearby, but can never place the sound. Some believe these are the ghosts of Native Americans who refuse to move on from their homeland.
Informant’s Comments: Pablo says that he understands where the urban legend comes from, as the Native American population was very robust at one point in Florida’s history. That being said, he has never heard the drumbeat or chanting for himself.
Collector’s Comments: I, too, had heard of this urban legend prior to collecting it. I’ve run around Deering Estate many times in the early morning, but have never heard the said drumbeat or chanting. Individuals who say they have heard these things are mostly older adults, which might indicate that the urban legend originated with their generation.
Collector’s Name: Sarah Perez
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