Highlights from Feb 2009 Spirits with Spirits at Union Station

GHOULA would like to thank the employees that finally shared their ghost story. It seems there is the spirit of a military man who stands (apparently waiting) in the North courtyard outside the main waiting room. Eventhough his uniform is generic, it is thought that he is from the era of World War II. Also, staff have heard strange moaning sounds outside of the North East part of the station. Could this be the echos of a long ago murder that took place there when the area was Chinatown? We would like to propose another theory. Our city's first "lover's lane" was roughly located in that location, so perhaps those moans are another activity all together.

We would also like to thank the good people at Los Angeles’ main Train transportation hub for the impromptu tour of the abandon New Jersey commuter train on the normally inaccessible Track 13, and for letting us commandeer these sad, forgotten rail cars for the night.


I have heard it said that there is nothing as lonely as a train whistle in the distance. That may be true, but there is also nothing as eerie as an empty train in the moonlight. Thank you, Union Station. A ghoul time was had by all.


Apologies to those who showed up to the bar (i.e. that means you Jim and Cybele) and missed the great train exploration of 2009. Welcome new member Dave Melrose! Remember, once you attend a GHOULA meeting, you are a member for life, and then some.

(to read about the SPIRITS of this location...)

February Spirits with Spirits at Traxx Bar in Union Station

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 curios skeptic to the passionate phantom pursuer. Make friends, find ghosts! Come see all the “hot spots” with “cold spots.”

All those who attend will receive a free GHOULA button. If you have already received your button, please wear it so others can find you.

G.H.O.U.L.A. t-shirts will be available for sale. ($10.00 each)

Union Station began receiving trains in 1939, so be a part of its 70 years of history by taking one of the “light rail” (Red, Gold, Blue, or Purple) options to this deco-destination. Besides avoiding traffic, it will spare you any parking headaches.

THE DATE: February 13th, 2009 (Friday)
THE PLACE: TRAXX Bar (Union Station) map
THE TIME: 8pm to the Witching Hour

THE GHOST(S):

In addition to Union Station being one of the few truly iconic landmarks in Los Angeles (with its unique “mission moderne” design), it has also been one of those locations that members have felt GHOULA should explore. Although, several employees of the station (as well as Amtrak employees) have confessed that it is haunted, GHOULA, through research and interviews, could not get any first-hand accounts from witnesses (or even second-hand accounts). No one was willing to discuss who possibly haunts it (one employee said that management told them not to talk about the ghosts). However, even if these unknown ghost stories are just urban legends, it’s one of those places that should be haunted.

For starters, Union Station was built on the site of the bloodiest riot in this city’s history, in which a Chinese gang war erupted in to a lynch mob that spilled into neighboring communities. When the dust settled, fifteen bodies (some accounts claim as many 19) hung from the trees along Los Angeles Street, near where the entrance to the Union Station stands today. As a result, that dirt road was nicknamed “Hangman’s Street.” Although the legends of catacombs discovered during construction (Indian burial sites, Chinese opium dens, “Lizard People” tunnels, etc.) are apparently not true, the many stories of corpses, folded or in pieces, found in luggage at Union Station are true.

The most famous occurrence of trunks dripping blood involved Winnie Ruth Judd, the infamous “Tiger Woman” of Los Angeles (a.k.a. the “Velvet Tigress” to avoid confusion with the two other notorious local killers also given the nickname the “Tiger Woman”). In addition, the murderer of “Lower 13” was arrested on the platforms as he and his slashed victim rolled into Union Station (perhaps on the now-closed track 13, whose walled-in gateway can still be seen).

On top of all of that, the area near Union Station's baggage claim, was at one time this city's "lover's lane," where all kinds of illicit behavior took place. But the most “spirit-inducing” piece of strange history connected to the station doesn’t involve anything scandalous or macabre.

Union Station’s abandon (but preserved) “restaurant” had the good fortune to be designed by visionary architect Mary Jane Colter. Although notable for creating spaces that fuse Spanish and Native-American influences, she was also fascinated with the supernatural. She used to try to build places that felt like they had history, places where ghosts would feel comfortable. Two of her most famous commissions “The Ghost House” and “Phantom Ranch” reflect that spirit. It is not surprising that most of the locations she created have ghost stories attached to them. Thus, maybe the reason why no one will discuss Union Station's spirits is because they are locked up in the room where “ghosts feel comfortable,” and everyone wants them left undisturded.

http://www.traxxrestaurant.com/
(to read more about the ghosts of Union Station...)
(to see last month's SPIRITS with SPIRITS location...)