Knott's Berry Farm- Upstairs at Goldie's Place

Here we see the upstairs residents of Goldie's Place at Knott's Berry Farm. This one seems to have her hand bound, but I think that it is just to keep her arm up. A bit risque for a family theme park, Goldie's Place does add a bit of authenticity to the Ghost Town area of the park.

The second of the two upstairs figures hides elusively behind the window. These two figures are best viewed at night when the interior lights come on.

As you can see, the figures are barely visible in the daylight hours. Unfortunately, the Goldie's Place sign is obstructed by the Wreath as this photo was taken during Christmas time.

One last detail. This is the kicking leg that is on the side of this Board and Batten building. Along the alley is the pathway to Sad Eye Joe's jail cell.

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Tags: Knott's Berry Farm Wax Figure Ghost Town Goldie's Place

Knott's Berry Farm- Goldie's Place

Knott's Berry Farm is famous for their peek-in ghost Town scenes. Here we see Goldie's Place, Knott's very own house of ill repute. The building has recently been torn down for a major remodel, and is scheduled to be rebuilt. These photographs show the place before the demolition.

The ladies of the night. This picture was taken after dark, when the building's interior lights were on. Though the detail is not quite as good on these figures as some of the other buildings, the mannequins do offer an idealized view of these women.

A close up of one of the figures with its red feather boa.

This is the most prominent figure. Could this be Goldie?

The front door of Goldie's Place. They won't do much business with that huge lock preventing people from entering.

Goldie's Place

A house for 'ladies of the night' was a permanent fixture in most mining towns, so our Ghost Town would not be complete without this building. Goldie has the only parlor in town and it is decorated in shades of her favorite color, red. 

Goldie's Place was built in 1940, and is copied after an old building standing in Bodie before much of that town was burned out.

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Tags: Knott's Berry Farm Wax Figure Ghost Town Goldie's Place

Knott's Berry Farm- Barber Shop

There's been a lot of concern lately with Knott's Berry Farm's demolition of some of their famous Main Street Ghost Town buildings. The company claims that they are not removing the buildings, but are remodelling them due to damage associated with age. The reason many old time Knott's fans are worried is because in the past few years many of the atmospheric attractions have been removed and replaced with roller coasters. Gone are the Mystery shack, the Church of reflections (moved to outside the park), and the old pan for gold area. The Boot Hill graveyard now has an ugly roller coaster blocking the view of the giant old west mural. Hopefully these buildings will come back better than ever.

This view is of the barber shop, but there's more than meets the eye here, as the outlaw one eye Ike is sitting in the chair while a wanted poster hangs above.

The outside of the building with a few slats for guests to peek in.

A closer shot of the two figures. These obviously are not wax figures, but have the same function as the traditional figure. These wooden characters have to last out in the elements, and these often hot buildings.

The barber should be sporting a cigar, as evidenced by the space between his lips. Even without it, I enjoy the expression on his face.

Another character sitting off to the side.

Sorry for the blurry sign. Here's what it says:

Barber Shop

Typical of tonsorial establishments of the Old West is this old time barber shop. Notice the rack of old mugs. . . Each individual customer had his own private mug and personal soap. Note also the cow's tail hanging on the wall. An early day barber cleaned his comb by dragging it down this cow's tail.

Having a shoe shine boy in a barber shop was a common practice in the old days, bringing the miner and cowboy a touch of the sophisticated life in the big city.

Our barber looks a bit apprehensive because he has just realize that he is about to shave that notorious desperado, One Eyed Ike.

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Tags: Knott's Berry Farm Wax Figure Ghost Town Barber

Knott's Ghost Town- Boot Hill Undertaker

Every October Knott's Berry Farm turns into Knott's Scary Farm, but even during the regular season, they have a few ghoulish elements. Here in the Ghost Town, we see the transformation of an unfortunate man from a dead body, to a skeleton. Upon looking into the Undertaker's window we see the figure eerily switch.

Unfortunately, the effect was not working the day I visited, and the man we see here never showed up. Only when I tried to take a picture using flash did I see the body. To the naked eye, it went from skeleton to empty coffin, and back again. So this flash picture shows the two occupying the same space. Creepy. . .

This shot shows just the skeleton standing in the coffin, helped by a wire attached to its head.

A close up of the body with the skeleton in view.

The unwelcoming Boot Hill Undertaker's shop. You can also rent a room above the dead people.

A You Tube video which shows the effect when it's working.

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Tags: Knott's Berry Farm Wax Figure Ghost Town Undertaker

Knott's Ghost Town- Sad Eye Joe's Neighbors

Sad Eye Joe isn't the only person in Jail at Knott's Berry Farm. This other guy sits alone in his cell awaiting his fate. He's a quiet man, and he isn't as talkative as Joe. But those sad, sad eyes tell the same story of the loss and betrayal that led him to his cell.

Around the corner is this figure that's only a leg. I believe there's a story to it, but I don't know what that story is. I can't remember if the leg still moves.

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Tags: Knott's Berry Farm Wax Figure Ghost Town

Knott's Ghost Town- Toy Shop

Like many of the peek in scenes at Knott's Berry Farm, this toy shop is easily missed. Inside, you'll find several figures enjoying the shop and its toys. These figures are not exactly top notch wax figures. They seem to be typical mannequins dressed up in period clothes. The child's hair looks very fake. There is still a charm to this scene.

The outside of the toy shop shows just how small it is.

Another figure inside the shop. She looks more detailed than the child, but is clearly just a fiberglass type mannequin.

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Tags: Knott's Berry Farm Wax Figure Ghost Town

Knott's Ghost Town- Sad Eye Joe

No trip to Knott's Berry Farm would be complete without a visit to the town jail. Here you can see the infamous Sad Eye Joe. He's been locked up for years and years. Fortunately, he's kept a pretty good attitude about his situation. The neatest part of a visit to the jail is hearing Sad Eye Joe speak to unsuspecting guests. He looks fairly static, but he's all spunk. Inside a building next to the jail is a real live person who voices him. Little kids are always surprised to hear Joe call them by name, and they usually have no idea how he knows them. It tricked me when I was a kid too. I later learned that my father gave them man my name.

A close up of Joe. He's no wax figure, and appears to be made of wood. Not the most detailed figure ever made, but the experience more than makes up for the simple detail.

The show building with a man peeking in. The jail is out of the way, but is still very popular.

On a wall next to the jail are letters to Sad Eye Joe.

One of the letters close up. They have water damage, but most are readable.

Another letter. Small details like this is what makes the Ghost Town such a fun place to explore.

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Tags: Knott's Berry Farm Wax Figure Ghost Town

Knott's Berry Farm- Fortune Teller

Here is a shot of a fortune teller machine located in the Ghost Town section of Knott's Berry Farm. I was surprised to see such a detailed piece of artwork at knott's. Like Disneyland's fortune tellers, this machine uses elaborate figures to entice guests to spend some change at the park. This one shows an old woman who uses her "wisdom" to tell your future. However, I ended up not spending the change.

A close up of the woman shows the terrific detail of the figure. She almost looks real. She doesn't look like a fortune teller, but she does fit in with the ghost town theme of the park.

Another angle of the machine. Too bad there was so much glare on the window. It is still worth checking out if you're ever at Knott's.

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Tags: Knott's Berry Farm Wax Figure Ghost Town

Knott's Berry Farm- Timber Mountain Christmas

Disneyland is not the only amusement park in Southern California that overlays existing attractions for Christmas. Knott's "Merry" Farm has a Christmas version of their critically acclaimed Timber Mountain Log Ride. The attraction already has many figures throughout, and they add even more for Christmas. Elfs have overrun the mountain, and are spreading Christmas cheer. This shot shows three existing figures and the road sign to Mrs. Claus' kitchen.


This figure is a young logger. He is strong and able, and has no problem swinging along this log.


Not as young and vibrant, this guy prefers to stand and hold a rope. He looks like he has already paid his dues.

Houses of Wax would like to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas!

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Tags: Knott's Berry Farm Animatronic Figure Log Ride Christmas

Knott's Ghost Town- Post Office

The shot here shows the hard working Postal worker from the Knott's Berry Farm Ghost Town Post Office. He has been sorting mail for the past umpteenth years, and the poor guy has lost one of his much needed fingers. This scene is actually really neat looking, as are all of the "Peek-in" town displays.


This is the Post Office building's exterior. Sometimes you do not know if you are walking into a store, or one of the themed scenes. Although many of them do not actually have a door you can enter through.


Our Postal worker stands behind the counter waiting for someone, anyone to stop by and say hello.

Visit the Knott's Berry Farm Website here.

Tags: Knott's Berry Farm Wax Figure Ghost Town