From the category archives:

Haunted

Spirits with Spirts: Creepsters Meet the Ghosts of Edendale

by Lisa Mouse on November 10, 2008

GHOULA meets for cocktails in haunted places on the 13th of each month. “SPIRITS with SPIRITS” is a casual gathering of regional ghost hunters.

Open to all, from the curious skeptic to the passionate phantom pursuer. Make friends, find ghosts! Come see the “hot spots” with “cold spots.”

All those who attend will receive a free G.H.O.U.L.A. button. If you have already received your button, please wear it so others can find you. Also, G.H.O.U.L.A t-shirts will be available for sale. ($10.00 each)

Thursday, November 13th

8pm to The Witching Hour

Mixville Bar in Edendale Grill

2838 Rowena Ave, Los Angeles, CA  90039

The largest earthquake drill in U.S. history is scheduled to take place on November 13th at 10:00 am. So, in the spirit of earthquake safety, this month’s “SPIRITS with SPIRITS” will take place in a historic fire station haunted by former rescue workers.

THE GHOST(S):

“Mixville” was a 12 acre movie set (complete with a frontier town, an Indian village, a simulated desert, and a range of plaster mountains) in the Silverlake district of Los Angeles where a series of popular silent-era westerns featuring matinee-idol Tom Mix were filmed. Mixville was where Tom Mix buried his beloved horse “Old Blue,” and where John Wayne got his first job in the movie industry. Sadly, Mixville no longer exists, and in its place stands a strip mall with a Ralph’s Supermarket.

The Mixville Bar, on the other hand, can be found a couple of blocks away from its namesake’s former location. While the establishment’s name pays homage to the celluliod heroes of the past, the actual building is a monument to the memory of another kind of hero. The Mixville bar is located inside Historic Fire Station No. 56. Specifically, the bar sits in what was once the station’s fire-truck bay. Built in 1924, many of the buildings original features are still intact and lovingly preserved. The current owners, and the community, are proud of the building’s unique history.

However, in addition to fine food and cocktails, old Fire Station #56 is also home to some paranormal activity. If you ask the wait-staff or the hostess about ghosts, they will tell you that the place is not haunted. But, GHOULA recently spoke to one of the busboys, who swore that it is indeed very haunted.

Apparently, at the end of their shifts, when the employees clean up for the night, it is not uncommon to encounter “shadow people” on the walls of the fire station. These black forms are said to always be male, and to always vanish after a moment. The workers believe that they are the spirits of fallen firefighters that use to live and work at this site.

It has also been reported that the lady who cleans the restrooms (when the restaurant is closed) believes the restless spirits, on more than one occasion, have slammed the doors when she finished her duties. Perhaps, these ghostly acts are a reaction to the presence of a woman in what was once a male-dominated environment. Then again, maybe they’re just playful fire-house pranks. Either way, these spirits appear to be benign.

So, go to The Mixville Bar, and toast the brave men and women of the LAFD, who not only protect us from disaster (natural and otherwise), but even in death watch over us.

{ 0 comments }

Rick Castro’s Haunted Hollywood

by It Came from New York on October 28, 2008

Rick Castro on Grauman steps

Rick Castro on Grauman steps

Rick Castro is telling me he sees ghosts all the time.

“As far as I’m concerned, all of Hollywood is haunted or has spiritual presence. Every square mile of  old Hollywood has some kind of notoriety and infamous event from years gone by. If you allow yourself to be still you can feel the energy of souls from the past,”  says Castro, the owner and curator of Antebellum Gallery in Hollywood.

A couple months ago, when I told him that Creepy LA would be gearing up for another Halloween season, he suggested he give me a tour of his haunted world.

As he took a break from preparing for SPLATTER, his next exhibition of art at Antebellum, inspired by the horror film genre, I met him at the gallery, which he said was the first stop on the haunted tour.

“I believe Antebellum Gallery still has the presence of the former tenet, Red Stodolsky, the owner of Baroque Books, which was in this space before the gallery.

“Charles Bukowski was his good friend and  drinking buddy. He would create handwritten books on the premises and they would have impromptu book-signings whenever they felt in the mood.

“Red’s spiritual presence is a very positive force. I can always tell when Red approves or disapproves of the goings on at Antebellum. If he is displeased, he slams the door shut. If he is content, the people are drawn in and linger for a very long time. They also buy more.

“Sometimes Red rings the door chimes.  He doesn’t like a lot of light in the office area. Overhead track lighting never works back there.

“I was told by a former neighbor that Red’s  last wishes were to have his ashes scattered on the front sidewalk of Baroque Books.”

Vogue Theater, Hollywood Blvd.

Vogue Theater, Hollywood Blvd.

Next on Castro’s list was the Vogue Theater on Hollywood Blvd., not too far from his gallery on Las Palmas.

“It was built on the former site of an elementary school that burnt down in 1901. Twenty-five students were killed along with their teacher,” he told me. “After the theater was built and when it was still open for business, ghosts of children were often seen playing in the aisles. People also have seen ghosts of a projectionist and another guy who worked there.”

His favorite site is nearby, also in Hollywood, but it’s not in clear view. [click to continue...]

{ 4 comments }