Los Angeles Heritage Square Halloween


 Death and Mourning at Victorian-era at Heritage Square Museum on Saturday and Sunday, October 23rd and 24th, sheds a whole new light on Halloween. Heritage Square Museum 7th Annual Halloween and Mourning Tours is set among the museum’s Victorian-era houses.

 Immersed in very different traditions surrounding death and mourning practiced 100 years ago, you walk into 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 in this living history event.

Death and mourning etiquette during the Victorian era included established protocol that visitors can get a glimpse into. Guests will be allowed to 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

  • See how other cultures celebrate and remember their loved ones as we look at Chinese and Japanese traditions during the period.

  • See how the intricate details of clothing played a role in how Victorians showed their loss of a loved one.

  • Meet designer and author Mark Wood to learn how to make authentic Victorian-era Halloween decorations

On Sunday, Oct. 24, International Community for Paranormal Investigation and Research (ICPIR), will release the results of the first paranormal investigation of the historic structures at Heritage Square. David Berck and a team of ICPIR researchers followed strict guidelines and rules during their 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. 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, those “sightings” will be denied…or confirmed!

Also on Sunday, the Halloween and Mourning Tours program is more family friendly. Children ages 2 to 12 may come in costume, play period games, make 19th century harvest crafts, choose a pumpkin from the pumpkin patch (while supplies last), and listen to spooky stories in the Ford House by the San Gabriel Valley Storytellers. The program runs from 12 to 4 p.m. each day. Museum admission is free for members, $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.

Celebrating 41 Years of Preservation and Interpretation of the History of Southern California, Heritage Square is a living history museum 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. Tours of the historic structures at Heritage Square are given regularly Friday through Sunday from 12 to 4 p.m. Regular admission is $10 for adults, $8 for seniors, and $5 for children ages 6-12. The Museum is located at 3800 Homer Street, off the 110 Arroyo Seco Parkway at Avenue 43, just north of downtown Los Angeles. For further information, visit heritagesquare.org.