San Miguel Chapel Site
San Miguel Chapel Site | |
 The park which now occupies the site | |
  | |
| Nearest city | Ventura, California |
|---|---|
| Area | 0.7 acres (0.28 ha) |
| Built | 1819 |
| NRHP reference No. | 78000826[1] |
| Added to NRHP | July 20, 1978 |
The San Miguel Chapel Site is an archeological site in Ventura, California, United States, at the location of the first outpost and center of operations that was established while the first Mission San Buenaventura was being constructed. The open space park is located at southwest corner of the intersection of Thompson Boulevard and Palm Street in downtown Ventura.[2] The site is protected and managed as a natural environment by the city parks department.
The site was excavated, beginning in 1974, by students from Moorpark College who uncovered rock foundations, the aqueduct that served the mission compound, and portions of a painted wall. As the city began to acquire the site in 1975,[note 1] the City Council endorsed the application for the site to be placed on the national register[3] and designated this site "Historic Point of Interest Number 16."[4] The site was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.[1]
The San Miguel Chapel was located just outside the southwest corner of the walled garden that was constructed as part of the ultimate layout of the mission complex. A nearby archeological dig,[5] uncovered a portion of the wall foundation as expected from historical surveys and maps. The mission orchard wall was built with large stones, some 40 to 50 pounds. The dig also revealed further signs of the long history of human settlement in the area around the mission such as American Indians beads made of shells harvested from the nearby ocean. The dig, performed before new apartments are built, also found artifacts from Ventura's first courthouse and jail, and its first hospital.[6]
"Coast Live Oak Tree, Historic Landmark Number 96," is a mature Quercus agrifolia designated by City Council resolution on March 27, 2006. Located at the southwest corner of the chapel site, the tree is the largest of its species within the City of Ventura and estimated to be 160 to 200 years old.[7] [note 2][note 3]
See also
Notes
- ^ The initial Grant Deed (Clerk's Deed 3365) recorded 1 August 1975 in Book 4440, Page 79 of Official Records for the half of the ultimate site nearest Palm Street. The rest of the site was acquired with three deeds: Grant Deed (Clerk's Deed 3428) recorded 25 March 1977 in Book 4801, Page 502; Grant Deed (Clerk's Deed 3429) recorded 7 April 1977 in Book 4811, Page 809; and Grant Deed (Clerk's Deed 3430) recorded 25 March 1977 in Book 4801, Page 526
- ^ Based on the trunk diameter at breast height of 52 inches
- ^ 34°16′40.5″N 119°17′49.5″W / 34.277917°N 119.297083°W Coordinates of tree location
References
- ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
- ^ City Map (searchable GIS). City of Ventura. Accessed 28 September 2013
- ^ Resolution 75-110 of the City Council adopted and passed July 14, 1975
- ^ Landmark #16: San Miguel Chapel Site accessed 7 October 2013 from link on City Map with Historic Landmarks
- ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Henning School (former site)
- ^ Clerici, Kevin "Artifacts are found at site" Ventura County Star 17 July 2007
- ^ Landmark #96: Coast Live Oak Tree accessed 16 December 2013
External links
- City of Ventura. "City Landmarks, Points of Interest, and Historic Districts". Historic Preservation in Ventura webpage.
- City Map (searchable GIS). City of Ventura.
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 | This article about a property in California on the National Register of Historic Places is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
- Archaeological sites on the National Register of Historic Places in California
- Buildings and structures in Ventura, California
- Landmarks in Ventura, California
- Properties of religious function on the National Register of Historic Places in California
- Religious buildings completed in 1819
- Spanish missions in California
- California Registered Historic Place stubs