From the category archives:

Cryptic L.A.

Seen Any Griffith Park Spooks Lately?

Cryptic L.A.

I’m probably going to regret this. An open call for ghost stories is a sure way to attract crackpots, who will likely respond in far greater numbers than serious eye-witnesses. Nonetheless, here goes…
It’s no secret that for a while now, the legendary Feliz Curse has been a passion of mine. Thanks to years of rummaging [...]

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Harry Houdini’s Mythic Haunt

Cryptic L.A.

Except maybe during rush hour when traffic grinds to a crawl, the winding drive along Laurel Canyon Blvd. can border on the mystical. After all, this rustic L.A. neighborhood is steeped in history and lore. Once a stage pass from the San Fernando Valley through the Hollywood Hills, since the late 1800s the ravine has [...]

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In Search of Firehouse Ghosts

Cryptic L.A.

A few years back, while researching an article on downtown haunts for a local newspaper, I canvassed the El Pueblo Monument for ghost tales. I wasn’t disappointed. According to numerous sources, many of the old landmarks there teem with spirits – including, possibly, L.A.’s first firehouse.
I say “possibly” because my initial investigations at the station [...]

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L.A.’s Top 5 Forgotten Cemeteries

Cryptic L.A.

For Halloween chills, there are few adventures more spine-tingling than a midnight stroll through an old, abandoned cemetery. Unfortunately for us Angelenos, many of our earliest and most historic burial grounds have vanished forever beneath the urban sprawl. Their locales today are more often marked by parking bumps than aging, chiseled tombstones. Read on after [...]

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Exploring the Biltmore’s Phantom Past

Cryptic L.A.

Considering how the Black Dahlia was last seen leaving this majestic hotel just before her 1947 murder, you’d expect the Biltmore’s walls to be oozing with ectoplasm. And apparently they are — just not with hers.
As is often the case with upscale establishments, Millennium Biltmore management prefers not to indulge rumors of otherworldly guests. Nevertheless, [...]

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Something Eerie This Way Comes

Cryptic L.A.

With the change in weather, it’s already feeling like October, the month when this blogger’s attention traditionally turns to L.A.’s fascinating body of ghostlore. To help set the mood early, I recently snapped this eerie night shot of an old Victorian in Angelino Heights.
Now a historic overlay zone popular with tourists, Angelino Heights was among [...]

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That Haunting Rio San Gabriel

Cryptic L.A.

The famed Porciuncula isn’t the only river to make a dramatic impact on Los Angeles. Believe it or not, on January 8, 1847, this otherwise unremarkable stretch of San Gabriel Riverbed in present-day Montebello was the most important site in all California, let alone for the City of Angels.
Here Gen. Jose Maria Flores’ Mexican militia [...]

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Two Summer Ghost Stories

Cryptic L.A.

There’s nothing like a good summer-night campfire and some real-life spook stories. The two that follow are re-posts from my former blog. The Doheny entry originally appeared Feb. 25, 2006, and the Marian Parker item was first posted Feb. 24, 2007. Whether you’ve caught them before or are reading them for the first time, enjoy!

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Marian Parker’s Mystery House

Cryptic L.A.
Thumbnail image for Marian Parker’s Mystery House

I have wanted to visit this L.A. landmark for quite a while and finally had the opportunity recently. At first glance, this rather nondescript house that straddles the West Adams and Koreatown districts would appear no different from the many late-Victorian homes dotting the city. However, it has quite a storied past, being connected with [...]

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History, Murder and Intrigue in the 90201

Cryptic L.A.

Though it happened nearly eight decades ago, Beverly Hills officials make it their policy not to discuss the tragedy of Greystone Manor. They’re even less inclined to acknowledge the numerous ghost tales surrounding the property. Off the record, however, many familiar with the estate have plenty to say about eerie lights and gruesome visages in [...]

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Another Feliz Update

Cryptic L.A.

Mary Bingham, a historian-writer based in Arizona, has completed another article in her fun and informative series about families and descendants of the famous Anza Expedition. Appearing in the June/July issue of the Tubac Villager, this installment focuses on Jose Vicente Feliz, a Los Angeles founder and first grantee of Rancho Los Feliz. She quotes [...]

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The Feliz Curse: Ghosts, Greed and Griffith Park

Cryptic L.A.

With Griffith Park’s recent fire, the tale of the Feliz Curse is as topical as ever. For about a century now, every time disaster strikes the park, the legend re-emerges. I first came across this infamous piece of ghostlore several years ago when I moved to Silverlake, not far from the park. Ever since, separating [...]

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That Mysterious Feliz Family, Revisited

Cryptic L.A.

Last week I received an e-mail from Mary Bingham, a historian-writer for the Tubac Villager in Arizona. Her message read in part:
I recently started to do stories on the Anza Expedition families and what happened to them after they left Tubac on Oct. 23, 1775. Your articles and Internet info about the Feliz family, the [...]

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Angeleno legends: Better late than never

Cryptic L.A.

Over the weekend I got to return to my erstwhile research into Angeleno ghostlore. (Visitors to my old blog know it’s a favorite topic of mine.) Among the most intriguing stories I’ve uncovered over the years is the notorious White Lady of Elysian Park, a prudish spirit with an alleged aversion to amorous parkgoers. According [...]

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