1900s

A boy and girl bite into the same apple inside a pumpkin. Text at the top reads "Halloween."

The Long Lost Matchmaking Rituals of Halloween

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When it comes to holidays about true love, one typically thinks about Valentine’s Day, but once upon a time, it was Halloween. Yes, Halloween, the time of year we typically associate with more macabre imagery than that of cupid, used to have a rather romantic element, Halloween matchmaking. Some of the earliest noted methods of…

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A low, single story building has an overgrown front yard area, and weeds growing through the cracks of the sidewalk. Banana trees have grown as tall as the roofline.

The Ghostly Remnants of the Old LA County Poor Farm

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Within the small LA suburb of Downey sits what appears to be a ghost town. A mixture of overgrown, charred, and boarded up buildings sit behind chainlink fences topped with barbed wire, and gates locked with multiple padlocks. What is this ghostly place? It is what remains of the Los Angeles County Poor Farm. For those…

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Faded blue neon sign for the Frontier Motel and Restaurant. A mural painted on the side of the building features a chef and the word "Cafe"

Fading Icons of Arizona’s Route 66

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As mentioned in earlier Arizona posts, most of our journey took us along the Mother Road, Route 66. The legendary stretch of blacktop is dotted with a combination of still functioning tourist attractions and long forgotten buildings, all begging to be photographed. So, in my concluding Arizona post, I share with you a sampling of…

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The Whaley House, a small, but stately looking home made of brick featuring a white column porch.

Gallows, Ghosts, and Paved Over Graves: A Visit to San Diego’s Whaley House

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On a September day in 1852 James “Yankee Jim” Robinson was taken from an adobe jail to the gallows. Standing upon a wagon, a noose was placed around his neck. When the order was given, the wagon driver pulled away, and Yankee Jim reportedly kept his feet on the wagon as long as possible, but…

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Screencap: Men take a body out of the orange and blue Laff in the Dark building, covered in a white sheet.

Tracing the Journey of Mummified Outlaw Elmer McCurdy to the Long Beach Pike

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Last week I talked about the history of Long Beach’s infamous Pike, including the location being used in an episode of Charlie’s Angels and The Six Million Dollar Man. What I didn’t mention was that in the Charlie’s Angels episode, “To Kill an Angel,” a man’s body is found within the Pike’s Laff in the…

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Myself standing with the Cyclone Racer Bridge in the background, wearing a t-shirt with a female sunbather and the Cyclone Racer in the background, and red shorts.

The Rise and Fall of the Long Beach Pike

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Towering above shops like H&M, Forever 21, and The Gap is what appears to be a rollercoaster, yet no cars race by, and no screams of riders can be heard. Upon closer inspection, it is no rollercoaster, just bridge built to look like one. But, why? Let’s take a trip back in time, all the…

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A red stone building with arches in the middle stands tall with text overlay reading "American Horror Story Filming Location: Old Orange County Courthouse"

American Horror Story’s Creepy Briarcliff Manor is Actually a Courthouse

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Like many, I’ve been sucked into the anthology series that is American Horror Story. If you’re unfamiliar with the series, it is a horror inspired show, where each season season has its own individual story to tell while also loosely linking the seasons together. And while the show has taken place across the United States, many…

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