God Save Echo Park Pt. 1

It's been a while since I've made a post on my neighborhoods history. A topic that I try to make central to this site.

One topic that has been of interest to me, is Echo Park's unique place in the history of fringe religions.

These days, Echo Park is home to bohemian artists and hipsters who, in my mind, are the farthest thing from church goin kinds that I could imagine. But the area has a rich heritage of those finding religious freedom in this eastern LA neighborhood.

Aimee Semple McPherson was an Evangelist coming to fame in the early 1920's and the founder of the Angelus Temple off of Glendale Blvd. Originally, the temple sported a rotating illuminated cross that could be viewed up to 50 miles away. She also owned a broadcasting company (the first woman to do so) and created a magazine called Bible Call. Aimee's congregation was the "Western center of Evangelism". Aimee was the first major female revivalist in American History. Aimee's "Foursquare Gospel" is described as one of "uninhibited joyfulness joined with religious exultation".

Aimee loved the limelight. Aimee was a showman, Aimee was a little weird.

At the height of Aimee's public popularity, she mysteriously disappeared after she had been swimming in the ocean. Her mother recieved a ransom note demanding 500,000 dollars. Her mother believed she was dead and discarded the note. Exhaustive searches of the ocean were performed. Just as people were losing hope, Aimee appeared in Mexico claiming she had been kidnapped and held in a shack. Her homecoming drew more then 50,000 people. A record crowd for Los Angeles.

Many didn't buy her story and much evidence suggested she had been shacked up with her lover in a cottage by the ocean.

Aimee died by OD'ing on sleeping pills. Read more about Aimee here.

The Angelus Church is still alive and kicking. On my drive home from work I see crowds of people organizing for, only god knows what.