Angeles Abbey was founded in 1923 by Long Beach shipbuilder George Craig, who envisioned a cemetery with grand mausoleums to house the dead in Compton, California. He first purchased 10 acres of land when nothing was in that area of Compton at that time, and the first mausoleums was completed in 1923, the Mausoleums of Love 1-4. The main mausoleum, the Abbey of the Angelus, was completed in 1927. Stories say he sent two architects over to India, where they studied the architecture and brought back plans to build the first mausoleum, which would house 1,000 crypts. Other stories say they were inspired by trips to Africa and the Middle East, or that his wife went to India on a trip and told him to build her something in that style. Ward Spencer Smith was the head engineer in charge for many of the Angeles Abbey building projects, as well as architect Hugh Davies from opening until the 1930's. The Angelus Moorish-style structure featured imported Italian marble, intricate tile work, bronze doors, private family rooms, stained-glass windows and ceilings which were done by Tiffany & Company, a stained glass reproduction of Jean-Francois Millet's "The Angelus'', and a Grecian chapel which could seat 100 people. The chapel originally held services every Sunday from 2-5pm, and it would host different signers, concertos, and choirs who would sing during that time. It hosted contralto Darline Rust in May of 1928; the Rolla Alford Singers for their Easter Sunday program in April of 1929 and many other times in the 1930's; the Herrell family quartet (S. L. Harrell, Mrs. Lucille Harrell Bond, Laverne Harrell, and Gilbert Harrell) of Santa Ana in May of 1929; as well as "blind baritone" Earl C. Houk in August of 1929; Cornelia Pollard and Hazel Budworth of Long Beach in August of 1930, Mabel S. Hocker of the Compton Methodist Church in November of 1930, and many more. Rev. H. H. Hocker of the Compton Methodist Church would also officiate many services there. In 1928, Angeles Abbey purchased and housed the largest seamless rug woven in America at that time. It was made by Kerr Rug Manufacturing Company, and was laid in the central long corridor in the Abbey of the Angelus, and stretched 10 feet wide and 150 feet long. It weighed over half a ton, and covered over 1,500 square feet. It was laid in the central long corridor right before electricity was installed in the mausoleums there. They also imported decorations and travertine to cover the walls of the Abbey of the Angelus. The rug is sadly no longer there. It was found by the current owner on the second floor of the Abbey of the Angelus, wadded up and covered in mildew, and was thrown out. 

After opening, sales went through the roof on crypts at Angeles Abbey. Sales were so good that the staff would take the day off multiple times a year to go on a day trip, such as to Catalina Island or Mount Lowe. Early sales manager A. W. Paris said that, "Since the first outing we have exceeded our monthly total of both May and June in 1924. The first ten days of July of 1924 have been the most successful in the history of the company as a result of the bringing together of the officials and the salesman of the company in such occasions." In 1924, they sold twice as many crypts in the first four months of that year than were sold in the entire year of 1923. The reason for this was the advertisements they did in the local newspapers, which said that Angeles Abbey would be the new Westminster Abbey of America; that the mausoleums would withstand thousands of years of civilization, comparing them to the Pyramids of Egypt; that Angeles Abbey had "thousands of years of world history," and that they would have telemarketers call civilians in Los Angeles about the current deals they were offering on crypts at that time. Comparing it to the Pyramids of Egypt proved to be a good thing, as in 1933 the Long Beach earthquake destroyed every building around Angeles Abbey, except the mausoleums there. None of them were touched, and no pane of glass was broken. Another reason was that they advertised that an ordinary person could buy a crypt for as low as $100 in the 1920's. That included the crypt, bronze plaque and entombment. Later in the 1930's it jumped to $140. During this time, they used the slogan "Every family can afford Angeles Abbey." They also said that if you didn't have a car or means of transportation, a member of their staff would pick up the person interested in purchasing crypt(s), drive them to the Mausoleum Park and back to their home. Tom R. Merrell also got the public involved in many ways, which helped the sales at Angeles Abbey. They would host Memorial Day celebrations, patriotic displays, Easter and Mother's Day programs, and more. These celebrations continued into the 1970's. They would also send out booklets with information regarding the mausoleums to anyone that was interested. In 1924, there were more than 700 requests for them. 

The mausoleum and the building of the memorial park cost a whopping $7,000,000 when completed. It was originally called Angeles Abbey Mausoleum Park, because it was only supposed to have mausoleums on the grounds. That changed in the 1950's when they re-did the layout of the cemetery, and opened up the grounds for burials. The name was then changed to Angeles Abbey Memorial Park, as we know it today. The next eight mausoleums, the Mausoleums of Love 5-11, and Abbey of Beauty, were completed in the late 1920's, which brought another 4,460 crypts. In 1928, they drew up plans for the new mausoleum, the Abbey of the Flowers. Newspaper articles at the time called it the "Mammoth Mausoleum." The mausoleum would be made of steel frame and reinforced concrete construction, two stories, 66 by 200 feet, an ornate tower 100 feet high, and would house 4,000 crypts. At the time the plans were approved in August of 1929, it cost $500,000. Clarence L. Aldrich was the architect in charge, and said that it would have extensive marble work inside and out, with ornamental iron and bronze, art stone work, art and leaded glass, and bronze doors. The Great Depression halted the construction of the Abbey of the Flowers shortly after the plans were approved by Tom Merrell. They resumed construction in January of 1931 with a groundbreaking ceremony with President Tom Merrell, Mayor of Compton Clarence A. Dickison, Architect Clarence L. Aldrich and many other Angeles Abbey and Compton city officials present. They hurried the construction date to help the unemployed in and around Compton at that time. It was completed within the next year.

Shortly after opening, George Craig sold Angeles Abbey to Bruce A. Thompson. Bruce and his wife owned and managed for only a year until they sold it to Long Beach businessmen Tom R. Merrell (who served as President), John F. Craig II (brother of George Craig who served as Vice President), and brothers Phil M. (who served as Secretary) and Roland G. Swaffield (who served as Counsel) in 1925. Tom R. Merrell served as President of Angeles Abbey for over 20 years. He died in 1965, and is buried in Orange County. George Craig, the founder, is interred in the family plot in Toledo, Ohio, by his first wife. His second wife, brother, and many other family members are entombed in the Abbey of the Angelus, in their private family rooms. The four men invested over $2,000,000 into Angeles Abbey between the four of them. Tom Merrell sold Angeles Abbey in the mid 1940's to his colleague, Vice President John F. Craig II. John served as President of Angeles Abbey until his death in 1952, which it passed to his son, George L. Craig II, who had served as Manager under his father during his time of ownership. George sold Angeles Abbey to another group of Long Beach businessmen, John H. McWhinney (who served as President), F. Calvert Strong, brothers Frande W. and Eldredge E. Combs, and Milton G. Bennett in 1959. George stepped down as President and took on the role of a director. During this time, they approved the plans in 1959 for one of the last mausoleums to be built at Angeles Abbey, the Abbey of Faith. It was originally one corridor, and later other corridors were added, the last to be believed to have been added in 1968. In 1966, it was sold to Philip "Phil" Sonntag, who had been the Vice President of Forest Lawn Glendale, a manager of many other cemeteries in the Los Angeles area, and the founder of the Valley of the Temples Memorial Park in Kaneohe, Hawaii. Phil oversaw the Abbey of Faith addition in 1968, as well as expanding ground burials, and maintaining the memorial park for future generations. The last mausoleum to be built was the Abbey of Eternal Light, a small mausoleum built in between The Abbey of Flowers and Abbey of Beauty. They also did an outdoor extension, the Mausoleum of Prayer, off of the Abbey of Flowers around the same time.

In 1976, tragedy struck Angeles Abbey. Martha Mittelstedt Edgington, a 78-year old Rosemead elderly woman, was found murdered in the Abbey of the Angelus, just off the second floor mezzanine. She was supposedly beaten to death with a vase she brought to decorate her daughter's crypt with. The reason they knew this, is because the vase bore a name on it: "Margaret," which was her daughter's name. When the police showed up at Angeles Abbey, no one in the staff knew what had happened or what the police were talking about. The police say they got an anonymous phone call, telling of how someone was murdered there. None of the staff saw her go into the mausoleum they claimed, and they said even if they did it wouldn't have been cause for alarm, as she visited the crypts of her parents, late husband, daughter and son-in-law often. Her body was found adjacent to her private family room. The case, after many months of investigating, was never solved. Martha was entombed there two days after her death by her family. Two years after her death, her daughter Barbara decided to move her mother and husband's bodies to Forest Lawn Hollywood Hills to be entombed there, because of what had happened at Angeles Abbey. The cemetery never recovered from this, and sadly it is what they are known for by many people today.

Phil Sonntag owned Angeles Abbey until his death in 1981 at the age of 69. He is entombed in the Abbey of the Angelus, on the second floor. His wife, Helene "Tutu", served as a manager for many years there. She has a cenotaph marker on his crypt. Angeles Abbey upon the death of Phil was sold to Jean Sanders, a third generation black mortuary owner. After Phil's death, Angeles Abbey went into serious turmoil. Angeles Abbey was at the hand of many lawsuits, and allegations by families for moving bodies without their permission, not maintaining the mausoleums and grounds as they should be, and more. Even the Abbey of Faith was flooded at one time. Jean owned Angeles Abbey until her death in 2001, and was entombed in the Abbey of Faith, alongside her husband. After Jean's death, it was passed to her family, and later it was taken over by Jean Sanders' partner, Oscar, who owns it to this day.

When Angeles Abbey was founded, Compton was a small town outside of Los Angeles and 20 minutes east of Long Beach. After its founding, the original owners decided to accept anyone of any religion, but only of the white race. This continued into the 1960's, until civil rights laws were passed and the cemetery was forced to change its rules. As race demographics changed in Compton during the 1970's from the black movement to the 1990's Hispanic movement, the cemetery has stood strong, amidst violence towards it. During the 1990's and early 2000's, stained glass windows were broken, the walls vandalized, and mausoleums broken into. This was later resorted to locking every mausoleum door at all times, unless a family member were to visit. Therefore, the staff would show the person to the crypt. They also put wire over the stained glass windows to protect them, and the history of the cemetery. The organ no longer works, and services are no longer held at the cemetery. This has made it for many interred there, strangers in a new community. Angeles Abbey was a shining beacon on the hill for Compton at one time. It was not only a place for interment, but also a place for people to attend services, celebrations, and appreciate its beauty. Today, as we reflect on the past of Angeles Abbey, and the city of Compton, we remember what it used to be, and the values of the people who lived there and ran it. Every owner and manager to this day has dedicated themselves to the betterment of its future and legacy. Even today, they are working to preserve the history of Angeles Abbey, even as lawsuits and complaints still continue. With little space for interment now, and all of the mausoleums filled, they are opening a crematorium to continue revenue for the cemetery, as well as more ground interment spaces. Angeles Abbey, the vision of a Long Beach ship builder, the pride of a Long Beach businessman for over 20 years, a cemetery to expand for the future for some, a place of devotion for another, and a cemetery just to run for one, is still holding strong, for the betterment of the future, and its community. 

If you'd like to visit Angeles Abbey, it is open Monday - Friday from 8AM - 4:30 PM. You will need to call ahead for plot location(s), and they will charge you a fee if you are looking up more than 5 burials at a time. Find a Grave volunteers are also usually not permitted to photograph this cemetery. The staff are very kind, cooperative and they will help you at any request possible.