Adventures in Grave Hunting by Lisa Burks

Astroturf Out, Sod In at Holly Terrace

Michael Jackson fans who had a strong dislike for the tribute platform (dubbed The Putting Green) located just north of Holly Terrace at Forest Lawn Glendale are rejoicing over its demise this week.

Photographed Sept. 17, 2010

It was taken down on Monday and early this morning four members from Forest Lawn's grounds, grass and watering crew laid new sod over the patch of dirt left behind. Team lead Gil told me no new platform would be replacing it.

They used approximately 250 sq. feet of durable multi-grass sod and would be watering it thrice daily for the next week until it takes root. All in a days work for these guys.

 

So, where can fans leave tributes now? According to cemetery workers on site this morning, items are welcome at the north end of the Holly Terrace patio near the mother and child statue. The statue was wrapped in plastic this morning to protect it from recent cleaning work being done in the area per the crew. This morning I saw two cards and several bouquets of flowers.

What can you leave at Holly Terrace nowadays? I took a straw poll of several Forest Lawn employees around the park this week and each one of them confirmed to me rumors that items left at Holly Terrace are eventually thrown away, in accordance with cemetery policy.

This is not a new policy, it's been a part of their literature for as long as I can remember, dating back to 1988.  What's new is a FYI sign that's been placed in the area spelling out the rules about non-conforming decorations just so there's no confusion or surprises.
 

Readers, I'm not opposed to dumpster diving for photographic evidence to go along with this report, but Forest Lawn's trash bins are in a secure area and I do try to be respectful when on the property getting a story.

What I can tell you is that this morning I witnessed an employee taking an armful of drawings, framed photos and other paper items out from within Holly Terrace and placed them in a company truck. He said they would go to the Jackson family. The garbage can was filled with expired flowers, from what I could see.

Because other cemetery employees had previously told me that flowers surrounding the Jackson sarcophagus were examined for freshness daily, and because this morning's source (who asked not to be photographed or named) was nice enough to answer my questions, I chose not to rip open the bag and snap further images out of common courtesy.

I was able to wander the entire terrace patio this morning with no issues, as were three other people.

My clean up crew source told me that one of the biggest problems with fans leaving things at the Holly Terrace is the mess that candle wax has created. Namely, unsightly stains from wax melted by lit candles and candles that have melted in the hot sun. That wax has soaked into the stone slabs and the cemetery maintenance crew has not been able to clean it off with power washing or preventing it with sealant.

As previously requested by Forest Lawn officials, fans are asked to please leave clean up efforts to their crews. Hopefully this problem will be solved in the future and I'll let you know when and how when it is. Fans can do their part by leaving candles at home or at the very least not leave them burning unattended or in the sun to melt.

I realize that Jackson fans have lots and lots of questions about what's going on at Forest Lawn from day to day. Many eyewitness accounts circulate on forums, Facebook and Twitter - some facts and a lot of speculation and heated, reactionary opinions. Read using your own discrimination. 

My goal here is to be objective and offer what I believe to be solid, reliable information. I wish I had all the answers today, because I have a lot of the same questions. I can only be truthful in saying I don't know it all. But I will continue to visit Forest Lawn, ask around, sidestep drama and share with readers what I personally see and hear in an effort to be helpful.

Stay tuned!

Conrad Murray at Forest Lawn: The Breakdown

Kudos to Entertainment Tonight and The Insider for broadcasting you-have-to-see-it-to-believe-it footage they obtained of impending manslaughter defendant Dr. Conrad Murray paying a visit Forest Lawn Glendale, the cemetery where his patient, Michael Jackson, was entombed five months earlier, to the day.

Video content provided for information/educational purposes only and remain the copyrighted material of CBS Studios, Inc. and CBS Interactive, Inc.

But that's only half of the unbelievable story.

The shows were broadcast on February 4. The Insider segment states that the Murray footage was shot the day prior, February 3 - the same day that members of the fiercely devoted Michael Jackson Fans of Southern California Facebook fan club made their monthly pilgrimage to the Great Mausoleum Holly Terrace.

Here's my exclusive breakdown on why we don't see him at Holly Terrace:

Viewer comments on websites for both shows are of the overwhelming opinion that Murray's visit was an outrageously inappropriate publicity stunt. Who shot the footage is unknown, but whoever it was did not go unnoticed by Murray, seen looking directly at the camera.

It's widely speculated that the material was orchestrated and leaked by a British reality show crew revealed to be following Murray around as of late December, as reported by the Associated Press based on an original report by TMZ.

The odds that the visit's documentation was pre-arranged to happen in the presence of at least one professional photographer skyrocket considering the quality and camera angle of this still photo copyrighted by the National Photo Group and published by the UK's Daily Mail. (Thank you reader Marissa Kay for pointing out that the NPG is the same agency responsible for paps Ben Evenstad/Chris Weiss' last photo of MJ, in the ambulance, and the first to get images of Murray when he came out of hiding.)

ET and The Insider both reported that MJ's erstwhile personal physician was seen alone outside the Great Mausoleum and that he left after only staying for a few moments and after never going in. E! Online further reported that he tried to gain access but was turned away because he was not on the approved Jackson family guest list.

Here's where the debunking begins.

This screen capture from the video showing Murray exiting a vehicle parked in front of the Memorial Terrace clearly shows he was not alone. Notice the person on the driver side seemingly getting something out of the minivan's back seat. A camera perhaps?

Next, Murray went to the clearly-marked Memorial Terrace, not the Holly Terrace which has been reported ad nauseum to be the portion of the Great Mausoleum where MJ was entombed.

Further, notice that the Memorial Terrace entrance doors are closed.  This indicates that Murray was either there before 9 a.m. or after 4:30 p.m., the hours of operation for that building. He didn't go in because he couldn't go in and it had nothing to do with a Jackson family approved guest list.

By the way, I was there with the MJFSC at Forest Lawn on February 3. While there, coincidentally, I was told by a cemetery source that the multi-paged family approved guest list was nixed once photos of MJ's crypt, taken by an approved visitor, were published as an exclusive by TMZ in November. For the past three months, the new official ground rules at the park have been that visitors are only allowed in to see MJ if they are accompanied by a Jackson family member.

Photo courtesy of Jim Lacy

Regarding the closed doors, as a comparison, I'm including a shot of my friend Laurie and I, taken in front of the same Memorial Terrace doors after exiting that terrace in 2006. It illustrates the position of the doors during business hours - propped open. You can see the security kiosk through the left door. The position of the car in the background of the photo is roughly where Murray's minivan was parked.

Just to be clear, here's another shot of Murray on the Memorial Terrace steps showing the closed doors, as well as documentation from Forest Lawn-issued literature verifying the mausoleum visiting hours.

Next, let's take into consideration the position of the sun to timeline Murray's visit.

The warm light and shadows in the image of Murray seated on the westward-facing cement bench outside the Memorial Terrace indicate the sun is setting on the western horizon (see map below which includes official coordinates.)  According to data from the National Weather Service, sunset occurred at 5:26 p.m. on February 3.

This narrows down the time of his visit on February 3 to within the scope of less than one hour, between 4:30-5:26 p.m.

After spending a few seconds on the bench, Murray is shown walking northward, past the recognizable Builder's Creed, toward Holly Terrace.  He is on the road that leads toward the archway as seen in the footage from MJ's funeral.

He's headed right toward a large gathering of Michael Jackson fans assembled on the Holly Terrace patio,  who appear to have unknowingly created a barrier between their beloved King of Pop and Murray & crew.

How far he made it down that road is questionable, but it's a no-brainer guess that he need not have walked much further before seeing many cars parked on the roadway past the overpass.  Equally a no-brainer call is the fact that he would not have wanted to run into a group of MJ Fans who were there from 1:30 p.m. until the park closed at 6 p.m., after dark.

  

Astoundingly, at the same time that Murray was being documented at Memorial Terrace, around the corner devoted Jackson fans were delivering over 200 Valentine's gifts to their fallen idol from grieving fans in 21 different countries, and conducting a prayer circle summoning swift justice for MJ from the suspected culprit responsible for his death, who just happened to be a few yards away.

To say that there would have been no room for negotiations to surrender had a meeting occurred would be an understatement. Most members were among the fans, outraged by the recent politicking surrounding Murray's arraignment, who flooded the Los Angeles District Attorney and LAPD phone lines today, demanding Murray be brought in immediately and in handcuffs.

Update 2/5/2010: In going over the events of February 3 with members of the MJFSC today, I was reminded that two young white guys arrived to the Terrace just after everything had been taken inside and the prayer circle had concluded. Some remember them to have been there prior, without cameras, arriving in a black Bronco.

The pair returned carrying professional cameras with large lenses, which is not unusual because people who frequent cemeteries today have nice cameras. When asked if they were there to visit Michael, they responded that no, they were visiting someone else, and had went back to get their cameras to photograph the display of gifts.

In hindsight they were most likely lying. I'd bet the farm that they were the NPG pap arranged to cover Murray. I regret that they were not photographed by myself or anyone else with a camera there that I'm aware of at this time.

I'm pretty sure one of the guys was Ben Evenstad. Here's a video of him being interviewed about photographing Michael on June 25. (Thanks, reader L and Karlene Taylor for the assist.)

Gift delivery inside Holly Terrace and prayer circle ~ 4:30-4:45 p.m.

Photo and candles left burning in honor of MJ outside the Holly Terrace at 6pm.

Sleeping in Beauty ~ Rest in Peace, Michael Jackson

Ten weeks after his untimely death, Michael Jackson was finally laid to rest last night at Forest Lawn Glendale in the Great Mausoleum, Holly Terrace, during a much publicized private funeral.  

I was invited to be a guest commentator on ZDF German TV and would like to say a big, big thank you to producer-reporter Melanie Hillmann for arranging my media credentials.  While there, I was also interviewed by Channel One Russia, BBC World News and our local newspaper, the Glendale News-Press.

As a cemetery historian, it was an unparalleled experience to be a part of the scene outside the park gates on Glendale Blvd., which had been closed to traffic for the historic event.

Michael Jackson's casket prior to entombment (© Reuters 9/3/2009)

The Jacksons filmed the funeral (speculation abounds that the footage will be used in their upcoming A&E reality show) and provided a public video feed of the guest arrivals.  Beamed around the world by a pool camera, the feed cut out once Michael's casket arrived at the Great Mausoleum in a hearse after a short drive from the cemetery mortuary.

After the ceremony, I was told by eyewitnesses that once the funeral was over -- which was a loving celebration of Michael's life -- no one from his family opted to watch his casket be entombed. (This is not an unusual practice.)  Forest Lawn personnel handled the sacred, solemn task with dignified professional aplomb, sealing Michael and his gold casket into an elaborate marble sarcophagus some time after approximately 9 p.m.

Based on insider descriptions of the immediate area, my best guess -- and this is ONLY an educated grave hunter's guess, not an officially confirmed fact -- is that Michael now rests on the main floor of the terrace, at the end of a sanctuary hallway with cathedral ceilings, under three stained-glass windows which are a re-creation of Nicola D'Ascenzo's "The Ascension."

No public photos have been released of this stunningly gorgeous location since Michael was possibly entombed there less than 24 hours ago. But a quick look through my Forest Lawn archival materials produced this promotional image, released by Forest Lawn in 1952, showing a final resting place that is truly fit for a king:

Ascension Window Sarcophagus promotional photo
(© 1952 Forest Lawn Memorial-Park Association)

Word has it that the price tag, which also includes an unspecified number of nearby crypts reserved for other family members, is in the neighborhood of $600,000.

This sarcophagus was one of the last (and possibly the last) remaining interment type of its kind on Holly Terrace or within the entire mausoleum itself.  It has remained largely unchanged since it was constructed 50 years ago.  I saw it in person about a year ago. The photo does not do it justice. It's breathtaking.

At that time it was also notable because it remained seemingly unoccupied, sans any engraved names, dates or epitaphs.

The only difference I noticed from the original photo was the addition of a marble and brass waist-high gate in front of the steps, which partitions it off from the rest of the hallway.  Update: the partition was always there per other vintage photos I've seen. The photo above was taken from inside the gate.

Construction began on the Great Mausoleum in late 1917.  It was constructed of steel and concrete, with each terrace on its own foundation, although they are all connected in a "building within a building" architectural style.

Engineers designed the entire structure to be earthquake-proof, and their work stands up today in spite of several monumental tremblers over the decades.

The Great Mausoleum, Holly Terrace addition in red
(© 1939-top, 1952-bottom Forest Lawn Memorial-Park Association)

Holly Terrace was opened to the public on March 21, 1949.  Forest Lawn invited and encouraged the public to visit the new terrace with a promotional campaign that included large ads in newspapers like The Los Angeles Times. 

Glorious artwork such as a marble replica of Donatello's St. George statue and a stain-glassed re-creation of Raphael's "Madonna of the Chair" painting were the attraction -- pre-need purchases of cremation niches, crypts and sarcophaguses within "the finest mausoleum memorial property available anywhere" was the sell. 

Since the Great Mausoleum is rumored to be fairly sold out (no official figures are available) I wonder if this could be an additional reason as to why the public visitation policy (now limited only to the Memorial Terrace to see The Last Supper Window) has radically changed over the years? It seems to make dollars and sense to me.

Thank you to Mark Masek and Harry Martin for your research and brainstorming assistance!

B-Day in LA

Fires? What fires? Today the hot news in Los Angeles is that it's finally, finally Burial Day.

Unless the schedule changes again, Michael Jackson will finally be laid to rest, entombed at Forest Lawn Glendale in the Great Mausoleum.  It's been reported that the proceedings will be filmed, including a performance by Aretha Franklin.  For the reported A&E reality show, no doubt.  Poor Michael, from the King of Pop to a money-making prop.

Yesterday Mark Masek and I were interviewed by Peter Bowes from BBC.

Dave King, Travis Peterson, Peter Bowes and Mark Masek

Security made sure we weren't on the FLG property

Here's the result.  Thanks, Peter! A couple notes, just because: FLG is actually 300 acres (it started out at 55 back in 1906) and John Wayne is buried at Pacific View Memorial Park in Orange County.

Today I'll be at the cemetery -- outside the property in the media area -- covering the events as a commentator with ZDF. More on that after the dust settles.

Disneyland of the Dead

"Where's is the Holly Terrace, exactly?"

If I had a dollar for every time I've been asked this question since it was announced Michael Jackson is to be entombed there, I could stop looking for a day job.

It took some digging, but I've come up with probably the best visual aid I've seen yet.  It comes from a 1951 Visitors Guide Map to Forest Lawn, no doubt sold in the Forest Lawn Glendale gift shop back in the days when traversing the hallowed halls of the Great Mausoleum was actually encouraged.

The vintage graphic pinpoints ten terraces. Holly, to the left, is notated with the letter C:

 

~ Click on the images above to see larger versions ~ 

This bit of more recent promotional material below may also be of interest to readers who want more insight into the mysterious halls within the Great Mausoleum; from the wonderful reference book Forest Lawn Memorial-Park: A Place for the Living, published by the Forest Lawn Memorial-Park Association in 1994:

Since the Great Mausoleum of Forest-Lawn-Glendale -- whose architectural inspiration came from world-famous Campo Santo in Genoa, Italy -- first opened in 1920, the mausoleums of Forest Lawn have become much more than sacred repositories for loved ones. Filled with colorful stained glass, adorned with world-renowned statuary, and decorated with radiant mosaics, they are, in a sense, small museums, providing educational opportunities for teachers and their students, and magnificent subjects for the brushes of artists.

At the time the above map was published, Forest Lawn Glendale was often written about in the media, named as the top tourist attraction in Southern California. Only Disneyland, which opened in 1955, rivaled it's popularity as a must-see destination. Is it any wonder then that Walt Disney himself ended up among FLG's famous permanent residents?

Walt Disney & Family Garden, outside Freedom Mausoleum ~ snapped 5/9/2008

Today, only Memorial Terrace (B) is open to the public. And for the time being, due to the impending Jackson entombment, even property owners are being highly scrutinized. Normally, those with legitimate business within the Great Mausoleum are left to visit their loved ones in peace.

However, I learned today of one property owner who visited on Sunday and was told that he would be escorted to his intended location by a security guard who would stay with him until he exited the building. His response? "No thanks, I'll come back when things get back to normal."

Whenever that may be, if ever.

Love is like the wild rose-briar; Friendship like the holly-tree. The holly is dark when the rose-briar blooms, but which will bloom most constantly? ~ Emily Bronte

(Shout out to Steve Goldstein for subliminally planting the Disney theme in my head while writing this.)

Postcards from the Crypt...and Beyond

Picture postcards have been used by localities and businesses as advertising tools and souvenirs since the late 19th Century, and that includes cemeteries.  Vintage cards also serve as terrific historical research materials for grave hunters.

Since most old cemetery postcards that I've seen don't have copyright years printed on the back, they're difficult to date unless they were mailed and therefore have a postmark.  One way to figure out a time frame is to do a "then and now" comparison.

Below is an undated, real photo card featuring the Sanctuary of Hope at Inglewood Memorial Park's Mausoleum of the Golden West.  On a visit there last Sunday with graving friends, we located the exact hallway (thanks, eagle-eyed Jayne!) and took photos (thanks, Steve, for standing in as the potted plant!)

The potted plant was no longer there but signs of its one-time existence were clearly evident by the stains and impression on the marble floor in front of the crypt of Bessie B. Creswell (1880-1958) as seen in this next photo.

As you can see in the postcard, none of the crypts in the column in front of the planter were marked at the time that photo was taken.  Now, all but one are.

Rather than write down the information, I took quick snaps of the markers in that column to look at later and use the dates of death to determine some kind of time line for the postcard.

Unlike most all other areas of the mausoleum, these markers and crypt fronts have not aged well, and are very dark.  It turned out that none of my photos were readable, except for Bessie's marker.

Here's where the story takes a strange twist.

Searching the historical Los Angeles Times archive for Bessie's obituary, I discovered that she was an alternate juror in a landmark child molestor/murder case which went to trial here in 1950. 

Back in the day, papers published personal information about jurors, including their address, occupation and photos. Here's a cropped image of Bessie, a retired sales woman who lived at 630 N. Commonwealth Ave., seated in the jury box:

Miss Bessie B. Creswell (Los Angeles Times, 1/5/1950)

I've yet to find her obituary, so this is all we know of her right now.  However, the case she was seated on was that of Fred Stroble who was ultimately convicted of the horrendous molestation and murder of 6-year-old Linda Joyce Glucoft.

This case made headlines in Los Angeles from 1949-1952, covering the murder to the police investigation right on through to Stroble's execution at San Quentin.  It was the catalyst for the implementation of California's earliest laws surrounding the punishment of crimes against children.

This is a perfect example of why I call it "Adventures in Grave Hunting."  A postcard blog post idea turns into an entirely different story, one worth further research and posts, so that folks today will remember important human stories from the past. 

I often truly wonder if we are actually hunting graves, or if the ghosts of those we do visit send us to where we need to go next. 

Little Linda's parents were so grief-strickened that they were unable to attend her funeral and entombment at the Home of Peace mausoleum.  I checked for her crypt information on the most extensive cemetery resource online, Findagrave.com, and found that she wasn't listed.

Next stop, Home of Peace, to remedy that situation ~ courtesy of an old postcard, vintage news clippings and one Miss Bessie B. Creswell. 

Stay tuned.

Update 7/31/2009: Fifi and I visited little Linda today and she now has a Findagrave.com memorial page started. Thank you Luis for calling ahead to get her exact location from the office! :)