DEL MAR — From time to time, a story is told of a haunted house in the village.

In the 1930s, a three-bedroom residence was owned by Margaret and Lawrence Dixon. They were active in the community and allowed kids to use their vacant lot opposite the house for a playing field.

When the Chamber of Commerce was organized in 1947, she became an active member and also was a village stalwart in the battle that prevented the freeway from slicing through the village.

After her death in the 1970s, the house was sold and the unsolved tale begins, according to an article in the Del Mar Times dated Nov. 4, 1999. When new tenants moved in, they found doors that went no where and living areas without windows making the quarters dark and eerie.

In the 1980s, when UCSD students began living in the village, six of them rented the house. So the story goes, one of the youngsters awoke one morning and found all his belongings completely rearranged. When he complained to the others, they denied having any involvement. Later, rugs in the living room were found to have been rearranged. Citrus fruit and apples on one occasion were strewn on the floor of the pantry. One morning a burner on the stove in the kitchen was on low and there were strange teacups on the counter. Other unusual incidents were later reported.

Fantasy or true? It remains a mystery. The home is occupied, but there have been no recent reports of unusual occurrences.