Pauline Adamek
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The Heritage Square Museum is a living history museum reflecting the settlement and development of Southern California from the Civil War to the early 20th Century.
Celebrating 41 Years of Preservation and Interpretation of the History of Southern California, Heritage Square is dedicated to telling the story of the development of Los Angeles during its first 100 years of statehood. Eight rescued historic structures at the museum tell this story like no place else.
Open on Fridays and weekends, guided tours of the museum are supplemented by special interactive events, such as the Annual Halloween and Mourning Tours program (more info below) and the Christmas Program, where people in paintings come to life, and visitors attend a mini-costume ball.
These tours and special events take visitors back in time to the era where electricity was a novelty, a trip to the beach was often a full-weekend activity and manners were distinctly different from those of today.
Tours are staged at 12 noon; 1pm; 2pm and 3pm.
Comprising of eight historic structures, these buildings can be explored when visiting Heritage Square Museum. The buildings were constructed during the Victorian Era, managed to be saved from demolition and serve as a perfect background to educate the public about Southern California”™s early development.
From the simplicity of the Octagon House to the opulence of the Perry Mansion, the Museum provides a unique glimpse of the lifestyles of the people who contributed so much to the development of modern Los Angeles.
Paranormal Investigation Results to be released!
For 40 years, people have claimed to hear, see and feel all manner of mysterious happenings at Heritage Square Museum. Whether it is the nature of the Victorian architecture, the historic furnishings and paintings on display or something all together different, “ghost sightings” have occurred at the museum since its inception.
On October 24th, 2010, those “sightings” will be denied”¦or confirmed!
In partnership with the International Community for Paranormal Investigation and Research (ICPIR), the results of the first paranormal investigation of the historic structures at Heritage Square will be released. Led by David Berck, the local ICPIR researchers followed strict guidelines and rules during its investigation, attempting to rule out all things explainable that have a human or environmental influence. Using the scientific processes and deductive reasoning, the team used Digital and Film Cameras, Camcorders, EMF Detectors, Digital and Cassette Recorders, IR Thermometers and Motion Detectors to collect the data it will release on October 24th.
The findings are being release in conjunction with the 7th Annual Halloween and Mourning Tours program, a popular yearly event that puts you in the middle of Victorian-era rituals around death and mourning.
Halloween Mourning Tours are staged on October 24th and 25th.
From spiritualism to spirit photography, from death to daguerreotypes, this living history event gives participants an opportunity to experience the very different way Angelenos dealt with and experienced that loss of a loved one at the turn of the 20th Century.
On Sunday, October 24th, the Halloween and Mourning Tours includes children”™s activities that are fun for the whole family, such as making 19th century harvest crafts, choosing a pumpkin from the pumpkin patch, and listening to spooky stories in the Ford House told by the San Gabriel Valley Storytellers.
This living history program puts you in the middle of a superstitious Victorian-era society where death was never far behind. Witness a funeral procession as they bury a loved one, visit a fortune teller, learn about hair jewelry and mourning attire and even join two men in arguing the merits of spirit photography!
Activities abound at this one-of-a-kind event. Learn all about death and mourning etiquette during the Victorian era, participate in a funeral inside one of our historic homes and witness a procession of mourners, as they bury a loved one. Find out about the movement of Spiritualism; what it was, who followed it and why, and perhaps have your future foretold by a fortune teller. See how other cultures celebrate and remember their loved ones. Discover how even the intricate details of clothing played a role in how Victorians showed their loss of a loved one. Finally, meet designer and author Mark Wood to learn how to make authentic Victorian-era Halloween decorations
The program runs from 12 to 4 p.m. on each day.
Museum admission is free for members, or $10.00 for Adults, $8.00 for Seniors over 65, $5.00 for Children 6 to 12 years, and free for Children under 6. For more information about Halloween and Mourning Tours, call the museum offices from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at (323) 225-2700
For more information on the International Community for Paranormal Investigation and Research (ICPIR), go here.
General Information:
3800 Homer Street, off the 110 Arroyo Seco Parkway at Avenue 43, just north of downtown Los Angeles.
Open: every Friday, Saturday, Sunday and most holiday Mondays.
Guided tours of most of the structures depart hourly (12 to 3 p.m.) from the Palms Depot. No admittance after the final tour has departed.
The museum is closed for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day.
Time: from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Due to Daylight Saving Time, hours will vary from November to March (11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.)
ADMISSION:
Adults: $10.00; Seniors over 65 years: $8.00; Children, ages 6 to 12: $5.00.
Museum members and children under 6 are admitted free of charge.
Discounts available for AAA Auto Club and TimeTravelers® members.
For further information on current programs and events, call the museum business offices Monday to Friday, from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at (323) 225-2700
Report by Pauline Adamek
Brian Sonia-Wallace
