Old Mission Santa Inés

Joseph Chapman engineered the grist mill and fulling mill here, the latter for the production of woolen cloth. Before being employed here, however, he lived a colorful life as a pirate. Born in Boston where he learned various trades, he would later join Hippolyte Bouchards motley crew in South America for a buccaneering expedition. Starting in Argentina, they worked their way up the Pacific seaboard to pillage and plunder every village they came upon, with the motive of freeing Spanish-held lands from their colonial grip. After reaching California and sacking Monterey, Chapman was apprehended. Seeing how knowledgeable Chapman was, and after he convinced the Spaniards that he was not a threat, they quickly put him to work. After laboring along the central coast, he would later be employed to frame the La Placita church at Pueblo de Los Angeles, as well as build El Molino Nuevo at Mission San Gabriel (to replace El Molino Viejo, in what is now San Marino), construct a dam with the help of local natives (La Presa), as well as frame other structures, including a ship. He is also known to be the first American winegrower in California, cultivating vineyards along the banks of the Los Angeles River, near the pueblo.
Jan 24th, 2024

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Nov 21st, 2018