GHOULA meets for cocktails in haunted places on the 13th of each month. “SPIRITS with SPIRITS” is a casual gathering of regional ghost hunters. Open to all, from the curious skeptic to the passionate phantom pursuer. Make friends, find ghosts! Come see the hot spots with “cold spots” and put the “Boo!” back into “booze.”All those who attend will receive a free G.H.O.U.L.A. button. If you already have, please wear it so others can find you.
THE DATE: April 13th, 2009 (Monday)
THE PLACE: The Eden Garden Bar & Grill (175 E. Holly St., Pasadena) map
THE TIME: 8pm to the Witching Hour
THE GHOST(S):
Built in the 1920’s, this gothic church-like building began life as a mortuary and funeral home, and was the home of “Turner & Stevens Co.” whose motto was “serving over 36,000 families since 1895.” Today, one can get service of another kind (namely table service) in this same “den of death.” Ironically, one of Pasadena’s best gourmet restaurants operates in the room that used to the garage/carriage house where the hearse was kept. This may explain why customers over the years have heard the sounds of a horse’s spirit residing in this space. Also, the ghost of an African-American worker in overalls and a yellow shirt has been spotted in the back of the restaurant adjacent to the restrooms. Some claim this playful phantom prankster is also responsible for locking the door to the ladies’ room, and trapping its female occupants
But, the apparitional activity in this restaurant is just the tip of this building’s “cold spot” ice-berg. The whole brick and stone structure (which houses other businesses) is known to be very haunted with disembodied whispers and phantom footsteps heard all over the building. The ghost of a scantily-dressed prostitute has been seen, as well as a vanishing red-headed little girl. Perhaps the strangest phenomenon associated with this building is the “rotting corpse odor” that some say materializes in the basement near the vaults where the deceased were stored decades ago.
Though never proven, there is a legend that an illegal “speak-easy” operated out of the building, using the funeral home as its cover. Furthermore, it is said that an urn containing the ashes of a former Pasadena mayor, who crossed the local gangsters, and then went missing, was found in the walls during a remodel. If there is any truth to these rumors, who knows how many victims met similar fates? And likewise, who knows how many ill-fated ghosts there really are in this historic landmark?
http://www.edengardenbarandgrill.com/
(to see last month's SPIRITS with SPIRITS location...)
