Tuesday, January 20, 2009

The Nixon Library & Museum - Yorba Linda

After watching Frost/Nixon today, it seems fitting to add an oddity pertaining to good ol' Tricky Dick. And if you're in Dr. Marley's U.S. History class, this one's a twofer 'cause you have to go there anyway.

According to SoCalSpooks.com, the Nixon Library gets a little eerie when the lights go out. Unexplained tapping noises are heard, and the infamous Watergate tapes are said to play on a continuous loop, whether shut off or not. The L.A. Times also mentioned the apparently noisy spirit, reporting that "a night watchman heard strange tapping coming from the Watergate display room."

I visited the museum myself as a wee freshman at Vanguard, and, while I didn't hear any mysterious tapping or hear the tapes run when they shouldn't have, I did get to see an entire miniature replica of the White House. That and the picturesque landscape were worth the $5.95 college student admission.

While you're in the neighborhood, check out the Old Yorba Linda Cemetery, where, according to the L.A. Times, on June 15th of every even-numbered year a lady in pink can be seen crying over an unmarked grave. SoCalSpooks.com claims that the apparition may be Alvina de Los Reyes, daughter of Bernardo Yorba. The Yorba Linda History website states that Alvina died in childbirth on December 2, 1910. However, legend has it she died in a carriage accident on the way back from a high school dance. It's possible that there WAS, in fact, a girl who died under such circumstances, but Alvina's name was mistakenly attached to the tragedy. Let's be real, though: The truth of the legend isn't what's important. We all just want a harmless scare, and a nite at the cemetery is sure to deliver.

Links:
L.A. Times Article
Yorba Linda History
SoCalSpooks

To the Nixon Library from VU:
1.Head east on Fair Dr toward Newport Blvd
0.3 mi
2.Continue on Del Mar Ave
371 ft
3.Turn left at Newport Blvd (signs for CA-55 N)
167 ft
4.Take the ramp on the left onto CA-55 N
14.2 mi
5.Merge onto CA-91 E
1.8 mi
6.Take exit 36 for CA-90/Imperial Hwy/State Hwy 90
0.3 mi
7.Turn left at CA-90 (signs for Yorba Linda)
3.0 mi
8.Turn left at Yorba Linda Blvd
Destination will be on the right
0.3 mi
18001 Yorba Linda Blvd
Yorba Linda, CA 92886

To the Old Yorba Linda Cemetery from the Nixon Library:
1.Head west on Yorba Linda Blvd toward Eureka Ave
335 ft
2.Make a U-turn at Eureka Ave
0.4 mi
3.Turn right at CA-90
2.3 mi
4.Turn left at E Orangethorpe Ave
49 ft
5.Continue on Esperanza Rd
0.2 mi
6.Turn left at Fairlynn Blvd
476 ft
7.Turn right at Woodgate Dr
0.1 mi
8.Turn left at Parkwood Ct
Destination will be on the left
72 ft
6749 Parkwood Ct
Yorba Linda, CA 92886