Treasures of the real Indiana Jones?
“I’m penniless,” declares Betty Shephard, the 88-year old caretaker of the Holyland Exhibition, with a shrug and a rebellious glint in her eyes. She and her daughter live in the building where the collection of religious artifacts started by Antonia F. Futterer, an Australian-born explorer, is kept. Their room and board is paid in exchange for looking after the property and all its treasures, a responsibility Betty takes great pride in.
In 1895, the 24-year-old Futterer left his family to dig for gold in the Australian outback. But he was plagued with bouts of appendicitis and was eventually sent home. As he lay dying, he picked up a Bible and it fell open to Proverbs 3:1, 2: “… let your heart keep my commandments. For length of days and years of life and peace they will add to you.” Fervently promising to follow the word of God, Futterer saw his illness vanish.
Info
Address 2215 Lake View Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90039, +1 323.664.3162 | Getting there Unmetered street parking | Hours Open daily for tours by appointment only; call ahead.| Tip Grab a bite at Pho Café (2841 Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90026), which offers delicious noodle bowls or soups full of delectable meat or veggies.
He later moved to the States, ultimately settling in Los Angeles, and in 1924, he built his home, where he held Bible-study meetings open to all denominations. In 1926, he set off for the Holy Land to search for the Arc of the Covenant. In what’s now Jordon, he was lowered into a cave on Mount Nebo and claimed to see a wall of pictures and a tomb sealed with stones; he believed this to be the tomb of Moses, with the Arc in certain proximity, but the Ottomans would not let him dig. It’s said Futterer is the inspiration for the fictional film character Indiana Jones.
When you tour the exhibition, mother or daughter, dressed in the attire of a Bedouin, will lead you through four rooms of objects, including primitive oil lamps and jewelry, an ancient eyeliner vial, and tapestries, from Egypt, Damascus, Syria, and other biblical lands. Betty will school you on Bible history with a pointer, authoritatively tapping the genealogical chart, “Futterer’s Eye-O-graphic Bible System,” showing all the men born of Adam.
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