Mission La Purisima

 (1787-1834) - A Spanish mission established in 1787 by Father Fermin Lasuen in present day Lompoc, Santa Barbara County, California. Associated with the Presidio of Santa Barbara. Named for Mary, the Mother of Jesus. The original mission was destroyed in 1812 by an earthquake and a new Mission La Purisima was built three miles from the old site. The Mission was Secularized in 1834. Also known as Mission La Purisima Concepcion.

The Spanish Period (1769-1821)
The Mission La Purisima was founded on 8 Dec 1787, by Father Fermin Lasuen, as the 11th of twenty-one Spanish missions founded in California. The mission grew to be a large adobe quadrangle, 330 feet square, with a large church, quarters for the priests, soldiers, married Indian converts and unmarried female converts. The population included two Franciscan priests, six to seven soldiers and some 1,520 Chumash Indian converts over the years. The military garrison was under the control of the Presidio of Santa Barbara. The mission site was located south of the Santa Ynez River in what is now Lompoc, California, and included lands for miles around the main mission compound.

The original mission was destroyed 21 Dec 1812 by an earthquake that collapsed the church, many of the other buildings and the quadrangle walls. That destruction was followed by the winter rains that turned the exposed adobe into mud. A decision was taken to relocate the mission rather than try to rebuild the old one. Construction on the new mission was started in the spring of 1813 on a site along the El Camino Real 3.3 miles northwest of the old site and north of the Santa Ynez River. The new mission was built as a linear series of three main buildings to avoiding the problem of collapsing quadrangle walls. The three main structures housed the main church building, the quarters and shops building, and the priest's chapel and quarters building. The old mission was abandoned and became known as Mission Vieja.

The military garrison at the new mission was housed in the shops and quarters building. The garrison was typically five single privates and a married corporal who were responsible for law enforcement as well as protection of the mission from attack. During the Mexican Revolution Spain refused to pay the salaries of the garrison (who were Mexican not Spanish) and this caused the garrison much hardship.

Mexican Period (1822-1846)


The military garrison remained the same after the Mexican Revolution because even under Spanish control the soldiers were actually Mexican.

In 1824 there was a rebellion by the converted Indians against the harsh treatment at the missions. Mission La Purisima was captured by the rebels who held it for about a month. The mission was retaken and seven Indians were condemned to death. A total of sixteen Indians and one soldier were killed in the conflict.

The main church was abandoned about 1834 because a spring underneath the church foundation caused significant damage. The private chapel in the Padres residence was converted for public services. The total population of the mission had shrunk to less than 400 by this time and with secularization looming it didn't make sense to keep two large chapels open. Mission La Purisima was secularized in 1834 and put under a private commissioner. Part of the mission was sold at auction in 1845 and became a Ranch.

The American Period (1846-Present)
Mission La Purisima was returned to the Catholic Church in 1874 but was later sold to private parties. In the 1930s the abandoned mission site was rebuild by President Roosevelt's Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) after the land was donated by Union Oil Company and the Catholic Church. Two companies of the CCC rebuilt the second mission on the remains of the foundations using both traditional and modern construction techniques. The reconstruction effort took seven years and the restored mission was reopened on the fateful day of 7 Dec 1941.

Current Status
Restored and interpreted Spanish mission. La Purisima Mission State Historic Park, Lompoc, Santa Barbara County, California. One of the most completely restored of the California Spanish Missions. Most of the interior rooms have period furnishings. Both chapels are restored as are the priest's quarters and offices. The military barracks rooms are recreated to show how the garrison lived. The visitor center has interpretive displays and artifacts from and about the mission. Knowledgeable docents and park personnel are most helpful.

Ruins of the original site can be seen on an interpretive trail at the south end of South F Street in Lompoc. Pick up the brochure for this location at the La Purisima Mission State Historic Park Visitor Center, ask for the Mission Vieja brochure. Ruins of the original church entrance and original floor tiles can be seen. The red clay floor tiles protrude from the embankment on the east side of the alley between G and F Street close to Locust Avenue. Much of the old mission is now on private property and a railroad track bed but the two sections of the interpretive trail are on city property.

A state roadside marker for the 2nd mission is located about one mile east of the mission site on Hwy 246. The roadside marker for the 1st mission is located at the south end of South F Street in Lompoc.

Recent Blog Posts:
 * U.S. Forts - Mission La Purisima, Lompoc, California

Sources:

Links:
 * Wikipedia - Mission La Purisima Concepcion
 * California State Park - La Purisima Mission State Historical Park
 * Official Site