Halloween, Haunted Mansion, French Park, etc.

Happy Halloween!

Today's photo was taken just before the 1950 Anaheim Halloween Parade. I'm particularly fond of the two-headed cat. I'm not sure what the creature on the far left is supposed to be -- Perhaps a shark with a moustache, or something out of a Peter Max drawing?

For those (*ahem*) who didn't like my "ghost story" yesterday, there's a whole mess of O.C. ghost stories posted on socalspooks.com.

The ultimate haunted house is Disneyland's Haunted Mansion. And nobody covers the history and mystery of that imposing manse like Doombuggies.com. Webmaster "Chef Mayhem" has been carrying visitors "into the boundless realm of the supernatural" for over a decade now.

Daveland is also featuring a great construction photo of the Haunted Mansion today.

The French Park Home Tour in Santa Ana will be held Dec. 8th & 9th. Visit FrenchPark.org for details. (I suspect I'll be writing more about this tour in a few weeks.) 

Bowers' blog recently posted some photos and information about the early history of the Santa Ana Fire Department.

Dana Point Historical Society president Carlos N. Olvera has contributed an article to the November County Courier about the old Capistrano Hill Climb (1916-1927), a famously difficult annual motorcycle race.

You can pick up a copy of the Courier at the O.C. Archives or at the next Orange County Historical Society meeting, which will be held Nov. 8, 7:30pm, at the new Muzeo, 241 S. Anaheim Blvd., Anaheim.

Thursday will be the 231st anniversary of Mission San Juan Capistrano. A small celebration will be held there at 10am.

A ghost story (sort of) for Halloween

As you may know, the Old Orange County Courthouse in Santa Ana is now a museum, and the original 1901 “Courtroom 1” has been restored to its original appearance, including original furniture and decor. One day, in the early 1990s, the museum staff noticed that the night crew of janitors weren’t cleaning Courtroom 1. At first it seemed like an oversight, but it soon became an obvious pattern. Every night, the entire landmark building was cleaned – except the old courtroom.

When the janitors' supervisor was questioned, he was equally puzzled. But he said he’d get to the bottom of it.
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When he came back, he said that his crew wouldn’t enter the room because it was haunted. In fact, he said, the room was haunted by the ghost of a judge who had hanged himself there!
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The museum staff were baffled. The Old Courthouse is probably better documented than any other building in O.C. – and nobody had ever heard of a judge hanging himself there.

But the head janitor led the museum staff into the courtroom where he pointed to a small plaque under an old clock. It was this plaque, he said, that sent chills up the spines of his cleaning crew. Although I don’t have the exact date that appeared on the plaque, here is the gist of the inscription:

“JUDGE MORRISON CLOCK
HUNG IN COURTROOM
198_”

And so the Honorable M. Clock haunts the old courtroom to this day.

Trick-or-treating, Steve Martin and the Dreger Clock

Today's image isn't actually from Orange County, but it might as well be. John Falter's cover art for the Oct. 1958 Saturday Evening Post looks like a snapshot from any of the Modern housing developments around O.C., like the Eichler tracts in Orange. (I particularly enjoy the gag with the square Modern jack-o-lantern.) 

Our current era of suburban isolation has eliminated most of the traditions that provided a sense of community. Trick-or-treating is one of the few remaining opportunities kids have to see their neighborhood and neighbors at close range. It's not a big thing by itself, but it's one important step toward understanding the place they call home. And without a sense of place or community, where will the next generation of leaders and local historians come from? So don't wuss out -- Take your kids trick-or-treating this year!

The Buena Park Historical Society and Mr. Glenn Frank have teamed up to save an amazing clock built in the 1930s by Glenn's great-grandfather, Andrew Dreger Sr. It is a functional work of art, telling the time in major cities throughout the world. Although the clock was initially displayed in front of the Dreger home in Long Beach, it was purchased in 1954 by Knott's Berry Farm. For decades, the clock stood in Knott's rose garden, in front of the Candy Parlor. In recent years, it welcomed guests as they approached Knott's ticket booth plaza.

But Knott's recently sold the clock and it has languished in a warehouse ever since. Now Glenn is working to bring the clock back to Buena Park and restore it to its former glory. You can read much more about the clock at his website, DregerClock.org.

Speaking of Knott's, the latest issue of New Yorker magazine includes an article by comedian Steve Martin, describing his start in showbiz at Knott's Berry Farm's Birdcage Theatre. If you have any interest in either Martin or Knott's, it's definitely worth reading. I believe this article is an excerpt from Martin's forthcoming autobiography, Born Standing Up, which is due next month. For the record, Martin also graduated from Garden Grove High School (1963), attended Santa Ana College, and even worked at Disneyland for a while. Orange County can proudly say it was the launch pad for the man who wrote "Picking Out A Thermos For You," and "Pointy Birds."

And just to run this Knott's thread into the ground, I'm also including a link to a site for and by alumni of the Birdcage Theatre.

The Pink Lady of Yorba Cemetery

It’s said that every two to five years, in the wee small hours of June 15th, the ghost of Alvina de Los Reyes (a.k.a. the "Pink Lady") rises from her grave in the historic Yorba Cemetery. It’s said she died in a buggy accident on her way back from a dance in 1910, and that her spirit appears to wear the same pink formal dress she wore on the night of her death.

Indeed, Alvina del Los Reyes (nee Bustemante) did die on December 2, 1910, at age thirty-one. She was the wife of farm laborer Francisco Navarro de Los Reyes, and was buried at Yorba Cemetery on December 4th, after a funeral at St. Boniface Catholic Church in Anaheim. 

However, she was not thrown from a buggy. Her official cause of death was pneumonia. And the 1910 U.S. Census shows she was raising seven children at the time -- So if she'd ever attended elegant parties, she likely didn't have time for them by 1910. 

And to throw even more cold water on the fire,... In 1998 Alvina's grand-nephew, Arthur Peralta, told the Yorba Linda Star, "...She died in childbirth. She was not returning from any dance." 

Marriage affidavit for Alvina Bustamente and Francisco (de Los) Reyes, 1901.

So where did the legend come from? 

About fifty-five years ago, Yorba Linda librarian Mary Ruth Erickson needed a Halloween tale for children's story time. She cobbled together bits of various old ghost stories she'd heard over the years and applied them to local sites and local family names. She created the Pink Lady story. (El Toro Memorial Park already had a spectral “Blue Lady,” and Capistrano already had a phantom “Woman in White.”) Kids took the story to heart and shared it all over north Orange County. Adults soon followed suit.

Yorba Cemetery, circa 1969. Before it was completely surrounded by tract housing and became part of Woodgate Park. (Photo courtesy Orange County Archives)

Amazingly, by the late 1970s the tale was already treated as "old folklore." Today, many versions of the Pink Lady story circulate all over the Internet (and schoolyards) as fact. (Also, there have been many articles in the Yorba Linda Star.)

As the story circulated, a few brave folk would occasionally come out to the cemetery to watch for the ghost. "I spent a long and cold night there with a camera crew back in college in the mid-1980s," writes artist Chris Butler. "No, we captured nothing more than headcolds! But it is a fond memory."

Eventually, the story became so well-known that hundreds of people would crowd around the fences at the cemetery each June 15th to watch for the Pink Lady's return. The staff of OC Parks' historical division -- which manages the cemetery -- is always prepared for the onslaught of those who might try jumping the cemetery’s fence to get closer to the ectoplasmic action.

“One favorite moment,” a Parks staffer said, “ was when a woman excitedly pointed out the glowing ‘orb’ hovering over the cemetery, which shifted in color from red to green. I pointed out that it was a stoplight in the distance.”

But don't let the lack of ghosts deter you! The Yorba Cemetery is still definitely worth a visit -- especially when free historical tours are given by experts Melanie Goss and Ann Nepsa, 10 a.m. to 11 a.m., on first Saturday of each month (except May). 

Per OC Parks' website, "The cemetery was established on land originally part of Bernardo Yorba’s 13,000-acre Rancho Cañon de Santa Ana, ...granted to him in 1834. After his death in 1858, Bernardo’s will deeded property to the Catholic Church containing the San Antonio Chapel and the cemetery.  Residents of the Santa Ana Canyon, many of them descendants of pioneering rancho-era families, were buried at this cemetery from 1860 till the cemetery’s closure in 1939."

Each tour provides a fascinating look at the history of the area and the individuals and families who have lived there over the centuries. 

Yorba descendants gather for the dedication of Yorba Cemetery as a County Historic Park on March 5, 1975.

[Update, Sept. 2024: Much to the delight of OC Parks staff, the number of gawkers at Pink Lady Night has dwindled each year since this post went up and since other local historians also started sharing the true origins of the story.]

Cemetery Angels, Orange history tour & Placentia

The "Cemetery Angels," Ann Nepsa and daughter Melanie Goss, volunteer their time to help preserve and research Orange County's historic cemeteries. Their work in identifying exactly who's buried at Yorba Cemetery has been quite impressive, especially considering how many of the grave markers and records were either damaged or missing completely. Moreover, they also give tours at Yorba Cemetery and the adjacent Peralta Adobe. [The photo above shows Ann (right) and Melanie (left) at the 2006 Anaheim Historical Home Tour.] The Oct. 25 issue of the Yorba Linda Star included an article about Ann. A few excerpts follow:

…The 25-year Yorba Linda resident - along with her daughter, Melanie Goss - has been giving tours of the Yorba Cemetery and conducting history research of the families buried there for seven years. …More than 400 members of the early families that lived in the town of Yorba - names such as Peralta, Sepulveda,
Grijalva, De los Reyes, Navarro, Yorba, and about 14 others, are buried at the
private cemetery...
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There were 139 headstones identified when Nepsa and her daughter began volunteering, and since then they’ve found the names of close to 70 others…
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“We started in the Anaheim Cemetery," [said Nepsa.] "I was doing my genealogy and I discovered some of my husbands’ relatives had been buried there. When the new parks ranger came to the Yorba Cemetery, he had never done research at historical sites, so we volunteered and he allowed us to do our thing. Up to then it was only open twice a year and now it’s open 14 times a year.”

In the days leading up to Halloween, I'll also post some spooky lore about Yorba Cemetery, so stay tuned.

Tomorrow, I plan to be at the Old Town Preservation Association's historic home tour in Downtown Orange. If you're there, and if you see me before I see you, please stop and say hello. Details about the tour are available on OTPA's website.

Halloween News: The historic Bradford House in Placentia's Bradford Park (136 Palm Circle) has been turned into a haunted house for kids this weekend. It will be open 6:30-9pm and admission is $5.

Modjeska, fire, Tomato Springs, Opal Kissinger, etc

Rob Selway, manager for the County's Historical Parks, tells me that the Santiago Canyon fire got within spitting distance of Arden (actress Helena Modjeska's 1888 home, pictured above). Luckily, the building, like others in Modjeska Canyon, was sprayed down with fire-retardant gel or foam shortly before the fire arrived, and the place was saved.
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In the face of widespread fire and tragedy, it seems strange to keep chattering away about local history. But that's what this website is about. I’m worried about the fires too -- But there are hundreds of news sources better equipped to tell you that story than I am. All I can add is the occasional bit of historical perspective.
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For instance, the media has frequently referred to "Portola Springs" in their coverage of the fires. This is a new marketing name that housing developers slapped on a historically significant spot called Tomato Springs. In Historic Place Names In Orange County, Don Meadows identified Tomato Springs as “tiny springs in Bee Canyon,… northeast of the El Toro Air Station. They were discovered by Padre Francisco Gomez [of the Portola Expedition] in July, 1769, and named San Pantaleon. Early in the days of American occupation, tomatoes were found growing wild around the springs and the present name was applied.” In 1912, it was also the site of a famous shoot-out between Sheriff’s Deputies and the “Tomato Springs Bandit.”

The National Archives' regional depository in Laguna Niguel is considering a move to the so-called Great Park. The Register ran an informative article about the possible move today.
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In my search for more Modjeska photos today, I stumbled across this Polish website that includes photos of beloved local librarian and historian Opal Kissinger playing the roll of Helena Modjeska. Now, like Modjeska herself, Opal is "world famous in Poland!"

Stolen plaques, Santa Ana, Brea, and mummies

Now that two thieves... er,... (*ahem*) suspected thieves are in jail, I can finally write about the brou-ha-ha in Downtown Santa Ana last week. (I was asked not to discuss it until now.) Two "urban campers" decided to make some pocket money by prying all the historical plaques off of Santa Ana's landmark buildings. Luckily, the markers were recovered before they were melted down for scrap. Plaques were stolen from the Old Orange County Courthouse, the Howe-Waffle House, the YMCA Building, the Ebell Club, the Episcopal Church of the Messiah, the Seventh-Day Adventist Church, the Dibble Building, the artist village, and other sites. Unfortunately, a number of the plaques were damaged as they were pried off, although some are still nearly perfect.

Many thanks to the Santa Ana Police Department for a job well done. (The photo above shows a stack of the recovered plaques in the back of a S.A.P.D. car, waiting to be returned to their rightful owners.)

One surprise came out of the plaque thefts: We discovered a dedication carved into the Old Courthouse's cornerstone, which had been hidden under a plaque for many years. Although it's now in rough condition, you can tell that the carved granite included the same information as the plaque. Retired court reporter Lecil Slayback, who knows the Old Courthouse better than anyone, says the plaque was added during the building's 75th anniversary celebration in 1976.

Today's Register includes a story about the opening of the new Brea Museum & Heritage Center's grand opening this Saturday. The museum will include displays on oil, aerospace, sports, and life in Brea in the 1920s.

And speaking of the Register, my thanks to Martin Wisckol for plugging O.C. History Roundup on his Total Buzz blog. This came about after we ran into each other at The Olde Tyme Bento Bowl in Downtown Santa Ana yesterday. (How's that for a restaurant name, eh?)

Halloween News: The mummies will soon be staggering away for good. The Bowers Museum's exhibit "Mummies: Death and the Afterlife in Ancient Egypt" will be moving out in December after a two-year stay. If you still want to see a lifeless empty husk after December, I would recommend Disney's California Adventure or Costa Mesa's Triangle Square.

Monsters, Santa Ana winds, Fountain Valley, etc.

Did Grace and Howard Wilson see a sea monster at Aliso Beach in 1922? You be the judge. The story is posted about 3/4ths of the way down this page. (What's Halloween without a monster tale or two?)
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Local historian and County Archivist Phil Brigandi adds two important pieces to the Santa Ana wind story. For starters, he found an even earlier use of the term "Santa Ana wind" in print, in an 1871 Anaheim Gazette article. But more importantly, he was able to lock down the Santa Ana Canyon as the original source of the name. "The oldest old-timers, including people born here in the 1840s, agreed that the winds got their name because they seemed to come from the Santa Ana Canyon." So much for the devil.
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The Fountain Valley Historical Society's annual Founders Day Luncheon will be held Sunday, noon, at Heritage Park next to the public library. The lunch of ham and lima beans will accompanied by a program entitled "Women of Talbert," featuring descendents of the city's pioneer women. (Note that both pork and lima beans were raised in early Fountain Valley.) The event is $7 with reservations, and $9 without. For information call (714) 914-1247.
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Author and UCLA professor Barbara Abercrombie will offer instruction on how to write your own life story for posterity. Her presentation will be held Saturday, 2pm, at Laguna Beach Books, 1200 S. Coast, #105. This event is hosted by the American Association of University Women of Laguna Beach. For more information, call (949) 494-4779.

In case you missed it, Stuff From The Park has posted even more photos of Buena Park's old Japanese Village & Deer Park.