Nancy Drew and the Old Mission Cemetery

Last Sunday, my voice teacher and I took a field trip that spanned the sacred to the near-criminal. Long story, so you might want to settle into a comfy chair with your favorite beverage.

 

We began the morning at Unity Chapel by the Sea, where Stacy sang two songs for the morning service: a classic hymn (“There is a Balm in Gilead” and a contemporary piece (Ben Harper’s “I Shall Not Walk Alone”). I was awestruck, as always, by the confidence that Stacy exudes on stage, and appreciated to the depths of my soul the expressiveness with which she sang the lyrics. She has the voice of an angel, and I mean that sincerely, and I yearn for the day when I’m finally able sing as joyfully and freely as she does.

 

After church, we fed our secular sides—that is to say, after meandering through a few shops in Old Town San Juan Capistrano, we ate lunch at the Tea House on Los Rios. (Those who are regular blog followers might remember that I visited this place with Mary Pearson awhile back). Here we are, looking all lady-like sassy in our tea house attire:


Stacy Pendleton selected a befeathered, wide-brimmed black hat, and I chose a glittery white "crown."

 

We chose the Mission Tea, a sumptuous spread that includes more food than one might ordinarily eat at a single sitting. Unless, of course, said person is carbo-loading for a Nancy Drew-type caper. Which, as luck would have it, we were! We just didn’t know it…yet.

We’d initially planned to spend the afternoon at Mission San Juan Capistrano, but time slipped away, and so it was that several hours later, I steered my roadster Subaru in the direction of the “Old Mission Cemetery,” an historical treasure that I first read about on Chris Jensen’s blog, O.C. History Roundup. It’s about 1/4-mile from the SJC mission itself…roughly two acres of ancestral graves, tucked into a quasi-suburbian sprawl of bland offices and ramshackle houses. Here’s one of my favorite vantage points: 

Some historians assert that a smallpox epidemic in the 1860s created the initial need for this overflow cemetery, but according to an article in the L.A. Times, the hilltop property was designated as a burial ground nearly a century earlier. This burial spot’s certainly not without its share of controversies, and for those of you who love ghost stories (I’m looking at you, Kim Baccellia ), Weird California suggests that it’s haunted.  

La Llorona’s spirit may have her run of the place, but we were wearing our Sunday-go-to-meetin’ clothes, remember? Plus, the cemetery gates are padlocked. And also? I’m no gazelle askeered of heights. But curiosity trumps all, including stacked heels, so we inched along its stucco walls and wrought-iron fences, latching onto eucalyptus trees, lest we tumble down the steep embankments. 

But it was so worth the effort. Without going into each of the particulars, I’ll just say that we were deeply moved by what we saw. Ashes to ashes, dust to dust, and so it is that wooden crosses are nestled among marble obelisks, and the sun shines down equally on the resting places of Native Americans and Civil War veterans, religious folks and politicians, tiny babies and early settlers. 

 
In death these dearly departed were separated from their loved ones, and in this final resting place, they’re walled off from the rest of the world.

Here, two grave markers that nearly broke my heart. Don’t you want to know more about the precious little lamb, buried beneath the rocky soil so long ago? And the beloved, long deceased, whose granite cross is adorned by that delicate necklace?

Angelic as her voice is, Stacy has a wild streak. I blame her for what happened next. “If we were wearing something less fancy,” she mused, “I just might be tempted to climb over that fence.” And of course, you know that set my mind a-whirling! I was actually measuring the cash value of my outfit against any possible risks borne of scaling the wall. (Not too seriously, mind you, should any cemetery officials happen stumble across this blog entry by accident.)  

 “Hmmm,” I said, in a devious noncommittal voice. But lo, I was sorely tempted! I twisted the camera lens, bringing the far side of the cemetery into focus. And uh-oh! What to my wondering eyes should appear, but a posse of sheriff’s deputies, staring back at me! Time to skedaddle, we decided, but as I strapped on my seatbelt, I got to wondering, as is my wont. Where were those cops standing, exactly? And also: Do you suppose the view is any better from their side of the cemetery? One question led to another, and next thing I knew, Nancy Drew and her sidekick were on the case!  

We stumbled upon their location by expert sleuthing accident—the peak of a steep, twisty road that wasn’t much wider than my roadster. I navigated slowly up the narrow passageway; like a sidewinder, we snaked among the chaparral toward the top. (Are you still remembering my phobia re heights?) And when we finally reached the pinnacle…well, let me just show you the view.

 

Yowser! Three police cruisers in front of us, one straight ahead and two hidden around the bend. Brave souls Good citizens that we are, we backed slowly down the hill, one hairpin turn at a time. And so it was that we made this harrowing escape continue this adventure another day.  

Directions to the cemetery, via Chris Jensen, O.C. Historian Extraordinaire: Exit the 5 Fwy at the Ortega Highway, turn left onto Ortega Hwy, turn left again at Rancho Viejo Rd (which is the first opportunity you’ll have to make a left). Turn left again on Avenida Los Cerritos and take it until it dead-ends. The cemetery will be on your left, behind a low wall, surrounded by office parks and such. The cemetery can actually be seen on Page 972, grid D-1, in a standard Thomas Guide map book. It’s marked "Mission Cem."  

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30 Comments

  1. Grave Adventures

    I love cemeteries (in daylight only, mind)and I know of two in California you might want to investigate, Ms. Drew. One is Oak Hills in San Jose. It doesn’t appear spooky in the least; broad, open landscape, huge ancient oak trees, well kept plots in even the oldest sections. What makes it a good visit is that it is the oldest official cemetery in California, and has graves for soldiers going all the way back to the Civil War. It also has members of the Donner Party buried there. So much history and friendly people willing to help you experience same.

    Another isn’t so much a single churchyard but several in Daly City. There was no cemetery in San Francisco (in fact, aside from one or two Catholic Churches with crypts on their property, I do not believe there are any to this day) so Daly City became Cemetery City. There are graves for people who worked the railroads, the building of Golden Gate Park, politicians and poor immigrants, victims of cholera, flu, and The Earthquake. Daly City is as close as one can get to the graveyards of New Orleans.

    As an aside, if you’d stayed on the Ortega Highway, you’d have ended up in my neighborhood, and I could have made you an amazing cup of Creamed Earl Grey.

    Thanks for the fun and informative tale.

    Emjae

    inknbeans.com

    • Re: Grave Adventures

      It’s hard to find people willing to go exploring in a cemetery, but I love wandering among the tombstones, trying to figure out connections among their inhabitants…and most of all, their stories.

      I’m adding your suggestions to my must-see list! How far out Ortega, I wonder, would Nancy Drew’s Roadster have to travel. Because I hear that Earl Gray tea calling out to me. 😉

  3. Ooh, I love it!!!! What a fun adventure! Tea then nearly breaking and entering–that’s our Melodye–just the right amount of sweet and sass. 🙂 xo

  6. Boy you sure wear a hat well! What a fabulous adventure — from “lady” to “tramp” in one day 😉 You have the most fascinating life!!!

    • My husband, bless his heart, is perpetually waiting for my dust to settle. Which, of course, it never will. My friends have taken to calling him, “Oh He of the Permanently Raised Eyebrows.”

      I have a ginormous head, truth be told, which must be balanced by a hat with a big-ass brim. 🙂

      • I would have rucked up my skirts and been over that wall in a heartbeat like the hoyden my grandmother always said I was. And hauled away to jail, by the looks of things. lol.

  8. Ooh, this is so cool! I’ll have to show it to dh. I love a good cemetery. Better yet, one that is rumored to be haunted. Thanks for sharing!

    Oh, love those hats!

    • You should totally go, Kim. The pictures in no way do the experience justice. Take your son…that’s my suggestion. It’s a powerful way to experience history up close.

      The tea house has a wonderful collection of “crowns” from which their clients can choose. 🙂

  10. (I love how you’ve framed these photos!)

    And yes, yes, I do want to know more about that little lamb, and surely–surely–there is a story behind that slight golden chain on that cross!

    (And your remark to any passing cemetery officials is just the sort of thing I’m always tempted to write when I post about something approaching the murkier legal areas ^_^)

    • (Thanks! Photobucket has lots of cool features.)

      Absolutely, there are stories. If only those grave markers could talk.

      But I’m not talking, should any cemetery officials actually put the screws to me. I left no footprints, and I only took pictures. I was a good girl, Officer–godswear!

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