St. Joseph Catholic Church, Rectory and Cemetery, Mariposa, California
historic place
St. Joseph Catholic Church, Rectory, and Cemetery in Mariposa, California, is a significant historic place. Construction of the church, a Carpenter Gothic Revival structure, began in 1862. Built from sugar pine with hand-planed clapboard siding, it was completed in late 1862. Archbishop Joseph Sadoc Alemany dedicated the church on January 18, 1863. The original bell, cast in 1862, remains in use today. The land for the church and cemetery was donated by R.S. Miller. Behind the church lies the Catholic Cemetery, where burials began as early as the 1850s. The rectory, a Craftsman-style residence, was added in 1927. A historical marker, erected in 1968 by the Native Daughters of the Golden West, Mariposa Parlor No. 63, notes the church was built by the people of Mariposa under Father Auger's direction. St. Joseph Catholic Church holds importance as the first permanent Catholic church in Mariposa County and is the oldest continually used Catholic Church in the Diocese of Fresno. This site reflects the enduring presence of the Catholic community in Mariposa.