{"nrhp_refnum":"91000424","name":"St. Joseph Catholic Church, Rectory and Cemetery","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"4983--4985 Bullion St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Mariposa","county":"Mariposa County","state":"CA","lat":37.482595798000034,"lon":-119.961322199,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1991-04-16","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Religion"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A district in Mariposa, California, made up of a Gothic Revival wooden church built in 1862, a Craftsman/Bungalow rectory built in 1927, and an adjoining Catholic cemetery at 4983 and 4985 Bullion Street.","why_significant":"The group reflects the part the Catholic religion played in Mariposa's growth and adds to the architectural heritage of the old town. The church was the first permanent Catholic church in Mariposa County, and the rectory is described as the finest example of Craftsman-Bungalow architecture in Mariposa. Both retain excellent integrity.","narrative":"This group of church, rectory and cemetery in Mariposa, California, centers on a weatherboard Gothic Revival church reported to be built of sugar pine in 1862. It has an eight-sided spire, a louvered lantern, stained glass in arched windows, and an original altar, pews and stations of the cross. Archbishop Alemany blessed it on January 18, 1863, and its 1862 bell is still used. It was the first permanent Catholic church in Mariposa County. Nearby stands a large two-story Craftsman/Bungalow rectory, built in 1927 under Father Frederick Deschesne, with a broad gable roof, shed dormer, exposed rafter ends and deep porch. The cemetery behind them, on land donated by the owners of the Mariposa Mine, has had burials since the 1860s and keeps the feel of a nineteenth-century graveyard. A 1958 rear addition lengthened the church while keeping its original massing. Together the buildings show the role of the Catholic community in the town's development and its architecture, within a period of significance of 1862 to 1941.","period_of_significance":"1862-1941","architect_builder":"Rectory: Deschnesne, Fredrick J. (Father F. J. Deschesne)","architectural_style":"Gothic Revival; Bungalow/Craftsman","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"The church, rectory and cemetery are still in religious and funerary use. Burials continue, and the church is the town's only Catholic church.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:27.871585-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_CA/91000424.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/91000424/fa483ecd19-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/91000424/fa483ecd19-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Saeidb","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:St._Joseph_Catholic_Church.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Saeidb</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:St._Joseph_Catholic_Church.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/123859770","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Joseph_Catholic_Church,_Rectory_and_Cemetery","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7589261"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/california/mariposa-county/st-joseph-catholic-church-rectory-and-cemetery-91000424/"}