I heart L.A. so much that I wrote a love letter disguised as a romance novel, ‘Los Angeles, I’m Yours‘ which is available as an eBook (and FREE in Kindle Unlimited) or paperback from Amazon (UK / US).
Sofia Taylor might live in L.A. and be the daughter of rock royalty but that doesn’t mean that she wants to be in the spotlight. She’s designed her life to be quiet and simple, content with working in the mail room at Andretti Records while secretly writing most of the company’s hit songs in her backyard studio under the pseudonym, S Klein.
Dylan Andrews ditched his father’s conspicuous last name as soon as he graduated from high school and has spent the last few years building a successful career in publishing on the opposite side of the country in Manhattan. When he’s summoned back to L.A. he understands that he’s going to be taking over as CEO of his father’s company, Andretti Records but he’s left stunned when his father insists that he go through a fake internship in the mail room first so he can learn more about the company.
Sofia is asked to mentor Dylan and they quickly bond over Frida Kahlo street art, grilled coconut milk and five-spice pork buns. Their friendship blossoms into romance as they explore downtown L.A. together but what will happen when the secrets they’ve both been keeping are finally revealed?
If you’re looking for a fun, flirty romance to brighten up a dull, rainy day, why not join Sofia and Dylan as they discover a terrifying glass slide, a house of mosaics, chicken curry on a pizza and lots more oddities in sunny L.A.
I’m finally going back there for a vacation at the end of this month (#soexcited) and what better way to celebrate than by blogging about the places I’m most looking forward to exploring whilst we’re there.
Today’s blog post features Greystone Mansion & Gardens, which is located at 905 Loma Vista Drive and is open daily from 10am to 6pm (Website).
Photo Credit: Jack Boucher, Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Confession: The main reason I want to visit Greystone Mansion & Gardens is because it was the filming location for Chilton Academy, Rory’s ritzy private school in one of my favourite TV shows, Gilmore Girls (2000-07). However, GG isn’t the only TV show which was filmed at Greystone, in fact it’s been described as “one of Hollywood’s favourite filming locations.”
If you want a look inside Greystone, check out the music video for ‘I Want Love’ by Elton John, which was also filmed there.
What I didn’t realise is that Greystone’s own history is even more interesting than the countless movies and TV shows which have filmed there.
It was built in 1928 by oil tycoon, Edward L. Doheny for his son, Ned and family. When it was built, it was the second largest residence (56k sq. ft.) in California after Hearst Castle in San Simeon.
DOHENY FAMILY HISTORY
EDWARD L. DOHENY (1856-1935) drilled the first successful oil well in the L.A. City Oil Field and set off a petroleum boom in Southern California.
Photo Credit (Edward L. Doheny): Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
He married his first wife, CARRIE LOUELLA WILKINS (1862-1900) in 1883. Edward & Carrie had 2 x children: EILEEN (1884-92) & EDWARD (aka NED) (1893-1929).
After they divorced in 1899, Edward gained custody of Ned. On 27 September 1900, Carrie died after accidentally mistaking battery fluid for her medications.
Edward married his second wife, CARRIE (ESTELLE) BETZOLD (1875-1958) in 1900.
Ned married LUCY MARCELINE SMITH (1892-1993) in 1914. Ned & Lucy had 5 x children: LUCY ESTELLE (1915-2009), EDWARD LAURENCE (1917-1999), WILLIAM HENRY (1919-2003), PATRICK ANSON (1923-2014) & TIMOTHY MICHAEL (1926-2009)
TEAPOT DOME SCANDAL
Photo Credit (Albert Bacon Fall): Bain News Service, Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
In 1922, ALBERT BACON FALL (1861-1944) as Secretary of the Interior leased oil production rights at Teapot Dome to HARRY FORD SINCLAIR (1876-1956) of Sinclair Oil Corporation (SOC) & Elk Hills to Edward Doheny (above) of Pan American Petroleum & Transport Company (PAPTC) without competitive bidding. The lease terms were very favourable to SOC & PAPTC and in return, Albert Fall received a no-interest loan of $100k from Edward in November 1921 and other gifts from both Edward & Harry totalling $404k.
After being alerted by a disgruntled Wyoming oil operator, Senator JOHN BENJAMIN KENDRICK (1857-1933) was the first to call for an investigation into the deals Albert had made with Harry & Edward.
Senator THOMAS JAMES WALSH** (1859-1933) of Montana led the Senate’s investigation into the TDS. Although Albert had been careful to cover his tracks, Thomas was able to uncover evidence of the $100k loan from Edward.
In 1927, the Supreme Court ruled that the oil leases had been corruptly obtained and returned Teapot Dome and Elk Hills to the U.S. Navy.
In October 1927, Harry’s two-week trial ended in mistrial after prosecutors discovered that Harry had hired a detective agency to shadow every member of the jury. He was charged with contempt of court, fined and sentenced to 6 months at the District of Columbia jail.
In 1929, Albert Fall was found guilty of bribery, fined $100k and sentenced to 1 x year in jail. He was the first Cabinet member to be jailed for his actions whilst in office. As the only individual convicted as a result of the TDS, the epithet “fall guy” is said to derive from his surname.
The following year, Edward Doheny was acquitted of paying bribes to Albert. To add insult to injury, PAPTC foreclosed on Albert’s home in Tularosa, NM because of “unpaid loans” (i.e. the $100k bribe).
THE GREYSTONE MANSION MURDERS
Edward’s son, Ned & his assistant, T. HUGH PLUNKETT (1896-1929) were also indicted in the TDS because they’d hand delivered the $100k bribe to Albert Fall in a black valise.
Hugh had been introduced to the Doheny Family through working as a mechanic for W.P. SMITH (VP of the Santa Fe Railroad). When Smith’s daughter, Lucy married Ned, Hugh was hired as the couple’s chauffeur.
The official version of events on the night of 15 February 1929 is that Hugh travelled to Greystone from his apartment in Hollywood and let himself in with his own key before making his way to a guest bedroom in the East Wing, where he alerted Ned through the switchboard and asked to meet with him. Ned’s wife, Lucy heard a single gunshot, called the family physician; E.C. FISHBAUGH and the two of them approached the guest bedroom. They encountered Hugh, who was holding a gun and looking distressed. He immediately retreated back into the bedroom and another shot was fired. When Lucy & Dr Fishbaugh went into the bedroom, they found the bodies of both Ned & Hugh.
Hugh’s motive for the murder-suicide was given as either a “nervous disorder” (it’s alleged before he died that the Doheny family had tried to commit Hugh to an institution so he couldn’t be forced to testify against them in the TDS) or he was disgruntled at not been given a salary increase.
Even though the case was quickly closed, the following questions still remained:
- Why did Lucy call Dr Fishbaugh when she heard the first gunshot and not the police?
- The shots were fired between 11 & 11.30pm and yet the police weren’t called until 2am.
- Hugh allegedly committed suicide after murdering Ned and yet he was found with a gunshot wound in the back of his head.
- Both Ned & Hugh’s bodies had been moved from their original placement before the police arrived.
- Ned’s father and stepmother were staunch Roman Catholics and Estelle was a very generous benefactor to the Catholic Church yet Ned (like Hugh) was buried at the secular Forest Lawn in Glendale. Suicide was considered a mortal sin by Catholics.
THE FOUNTAIN MURDERS
*TDS wasn’t the only controversy of Albert Fall’s professional career. He was a neighbour of OLIVER MILTON LEE (1865-1941) and rival of ALBERT JENNINGS FOUNTAIN (1838-96). When Oliver & his henchmen, JIM GILILAND & WILLIAM MCNEW were arrested for cattle-rustling, Albert Fall would ensure they stayed free of criminal conviction.
On 1 February 1896, Albert Fountain & his 8-year old son, Henry were returning from Lincoln, NM where Albert had obtained 32 x indictments against 23 x ranchers (including Oliver, Jim & William) for theft of livestock or defacement of brands when they disappeared. A bloodstained wagon and other evidence of an ambush were discovered but the bodies of Albert & Henry Fountain were never found.
Photo Credit (Pat Garrett): Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
In April 1896, Sheriff PAT GARRETT (1850-1908) secured warrants to arrest Oliver, Jim & William for the disappearances of Albert & Henry.
Side Note: Pat Garrett is best known for killing BILLY THE KID (1859-81). Albert Fountain had been Billy’s lawyer.
Within hours, Pat apprehended William and then went in pursuit of Oliver & Jim. After a gunfight in Alamogordo, NM led to the fatal wounding of Deputy Sheriff KURT KEARNEY, Pat negotiated a truce and withdrew.
When Oliver, Jim & William were put on trial for the murder of Henry Fountain, Albert Fall again defended them. Oliver & Jim were acquitted whilst the charges against William were dismissed. Nobody was ever charged with the murders of Albert Fountain or Kurt Kearney.
Side Note: When Pat Garrett was fatally shot on 29 February 1908, Albert Fall represented JESSE WAYNE BRAZEL, who confessed to the murder but was later acquitted at trial.
THE ALLEGED POISONING OF THOMAS WALSH
Photo Credit (Thomas Walsh): Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
**Thomas died on 2 March 1933 whilst travelling by train to Washington, D.C. for the inauguration of PRESIDENT FRANKLIN DELANO ROOSEVELT (1882-1945), who had nominated him for U.S. Attorney General.
On 25 February 1933, Thomas had married MINA PEREZ CHAUMONT DE TRUFFIN at her family’s estate in Havana, Cuba.
It was Mina who discovered Thomas lying unconscious on the floor. By the time, DR RICHARD COSTELLO reached the Walshes’ suite, Thomas had passed away. The official cause of death was coronary thrombosis. Before he left for D.C., Thomas had been advised not to travel to D.C. by DR HARRY L. MERRYDAY who’d attended to him twice in Daytona Beach, Florida for “mild angina pectoris & intestinal indigestion”.
The cause of death was disputed by his son-in-law, CAPTAIN EMMIT C. GUDGER who believed that Thomas was poisoned by one of his new bride’s attendants (loyal to Cuban PRESIDENT GERARDO MACHADO). Emmit tried to insist on an autopsy (which Mina had given her permission for) but officials deemed it unnecessary. Emmit’s wife (Thomas’s daughter), Genevieve accepted that a “heart attack was not a great surprise” because of her father’s history of high blood pressure.
Thomas & Mina had very different political views. It’s no secret that U.S. President Roosevelt (Thomas’s new boss) was opposed to Cuban President Machado’s government. President Machado was a family friend of the de Truffin’s. He issued a special decree waiving the 15-day marriage notice required by law for Thomas & Mina. Mina’s son-in-law (married to her adopted daughter, Regina), CLEMENTE VAZQUEZ BELLO (1887-1932) was President of the Cuban Senate (1925-32) under President Machado. Clemente was assassinated in Havana on 28 September 1932.
After Thomas’s death, Mina returned to Cuba where she sold her Havana home to developers. What became of her after that is a mystery.
That’s it for today’s blog post but make sure you check back soon for more blog posts about my must-sees in L.A.
Thanks for reading, Louise x
Louise Hall 
