Craig Owens, historian and author, will be telling ghost tales from his book of “Haunted by History, Volume I,” which describes eight prominent historic hotels in Southern California, to guests and members of the Windsor Square Hancock Park Historical Society this Sunday at their Annual Membership Tea at the historic Ebell of Los Angeles.
“My book was seven years in the making,” Owens told the Buzz last night. “I focused on historic hotels, because they are one of the few places that encourage you to stay the night!”
Owens said he starts his research by fact-checking all the historic locations and the origins of the ghost stories. Then he sets up elaborate photo shoots with props and models in period costumes, complete with cameras and microphones to capture sound at any frequency. And he stays in the hotel for several days.
“I use the theory of familiarization,” explained Owens. “By setting up something that is familiar to the spirit that is haunting the space, we see if we can stir up paranormal activity.”
Does he? Well, you’ll find out more from his talk on Sunday, but he would say his work over the past seven years has made him a believer.
The Ebell of Los Angeles is a perfect setting for Owens’ talk because, as he says, any building over 50 years old is bound to have some hauntings. And that’s a good thing, according to Owens, who tries to take the fear out of hauntings.
“This is not a negative thing,” said Owens. “Hauntings are not always about tragedy. It’s an emotional connection that lingers on in the building. It’s just a piece of the past that isn’t quite as dead as we think.”
“We are so excited to be at the Ebell,  the oldest continuous women’s club in Los Angeles, and we’ll be presenting a donation to the club for ongoing historic preservation of this incredible building in our neighborhood,” said Richard Battaglia, President of the WSHPHS. “During Mr. Owens’ presentation there will be a delicious selection of food, followed by guided tours of the building at 12:00 noon, 12:30 p.m. and again at 3:30 p.m.”
Annual Membership Tea
Sun, January 12, 2020
12:00 PM – 4:00 PM PST
The Ebell of Los Angeles
743 S. Lucerne Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90005
Tickets:
Members $75
Non Members $85
Click for Membership and Ticket PurchaseÂ
Proper Attire requested.
