Mission San Miguel
775 Mission Street,
San Miguel, California
93451
Mission San Miguel located north of San Luis Obispo along highway 101 not only has stories of ghosts, but also buried Treasure. Founded in 1797 the mission is located seven miles north of Paso Robles.
During the Mexican occupation of California, Pio Pico decided to sell and convert most of the missions in California. As a result, the mission was secularized in 1836 and on July 4th, 1846 Mission San Miguel was sold to a man named John (or William) Reed for the small sum of $250. It was the last mission to be sold, and three days later the Americans invaded Monterey, unfurling the American flag over the capitol.
As the gold rush was going on, a lot of precious metal was being shipped up and down the coast of California. Reed set up the mission as a Bed and Breakfast. He required that payment only be in gold, and thus amassed quite a small fortune, which he buried somewhere on the mission grounds. Rumors state that it was at the time worth about $200,000 in gold.
One night in 1848, he was boasting about his gold to the wrong people, some British pirates apparently who were staying at the Mission for the night. Although they left at first, the lure of Reed’s gold caused them to eventually turn around and attack, killing everyone at the mission in their pursuit of the buried treasure. They never found it, and were later rounded up by a posse and executed.
The story is further revealed by the supposed account of one of the murderers, a man named Lynch. Apparently Lynch along with an Irishman killed and robbed two Americans of all the gold they were carrying. Three sailors that Lynch suspected of being deserters apparently joined the two murderers at La Soledad Mission. Additionally a Native American boy known as John also joined them, fleeing the mission. This group of outlaws eventually arrived at the San Miguel Mission and there sold their stolen gold to Reed for about seven dollars an ounce. Apparently Reed bragged to the entire group that he had more gold buried on his property than the Native American boy could lift. The group left in the morning after a staying the night in the mission, but soon returned to confront Reed. One of the men, named Barnberry struck Reed with an axe, after which John jumped up and stabbed Reed with a knife. The group then went through the Mission murdering the rest of the occupants.
All told, thirteen (some accounts say eleven, another states ten although Mrs. Reed was pregnant) people were brutally killed that day including Reed, his families, servants, and his guests. Left in a heap on the living room floor of the mission, they were all eventually discovered by a mail carrier and buried in one large communal grave.
The mission was returned to the Catholic Church by the United States government in 1859 although it wasn't until 1878 that a padre was finally sent to the mission. Legend has it that Reed and the other victims still haunt the mission as spirits. If the gold was ever found by anyone, it was never revealed to the public. The most common spirit that people see is of a woman in a white dress. Is this perhaps Mrs. Reed? A man in a blue peacoat has been seen as well and it is documented by the Indians from the mission that Mr. Reed always wore a blue peacoat. Additionally at least one psychic has had visions of blood and horrible feelings of murder while touring the site. Other ghosts, including one monk, have been seen roaming the Mission’s museum’s rooms. It is said that the ghosts of the Mission will not rest until they are moved from the communal grave.
Currently, the Mission is, except for the gift shop and one room, closed to the public while it undergoes restorations and repairs after the December 2003 earthquake that occurred only a few miles to the west. Hopefully soon it will reopen, but work goes slow as it is only financed by donations. When it does reopen, you should visit, tour the museum especially the cemetery, and perhaps run across poor Mr. and Mrs. Reed.
Comments:
- Lydia of San Jose, CA on 2010-07-02 said:
- I visited Mission San Miguel with a friend on our way back to the bay area. We stopped because she was taking a photography class and needed some practice. While she was busy taking her photos I ended up wandering over to the cemetery. I was walking through and started feeling an overwhelming sadness. Okay, yeah, cemeteries are sad but they don't usually bother me and it's not like I knew anyone burried there! It took a lot to keep myself from sobbing out loud. I also became increadibly weak and dizzy. Then I got the worst headache. I really thought I was going to pass out so I went back to sit in our car. I had plenty of rest the night before and after we left the mission I was just fine. I felt this huge sense of loss and misery. I think the word I'm looking for is despair. I'll never forget that morning for as long as I live. Half of me would like to go back and see if the feelings return but the other half is a wimp and that's the part that's winning out.
- Joe of San Miguel, CA on 2010-05-30 said:
- The mission is open now
- A. Landers of Los Angeles, California on 2009-01-09 said:
- I was always a fan of the Missions of Ca. but had little experience with San Miguel. In September of 1990 I was going to San Francisco with a school friend and made a point several times to him that we needed to stop at Mission San Miguel on the way as I hadn't been there since I was about 4. When we reached it there was about an hour before closing. At that time the parking lot was still dirt and we parked near the fountain. I didn't know why at the time, but a feeling of repulsion mixed with dread came over me. I just could not get out of the car. My friend Steve kept asking me why we had stopped if I didn't intend to tour the place, and I couldn't give him a clear reason. No matter how I tried to get myself motivated to go inside, I couldn't do it. We left and when he asked about stopping on the return trip, I flatly refused. About a year and a half later I was reading a book of Mission ghost stories and legends when I read about the San Miguel massacre. I was stunned to say the least and immediately thought back to that day I stayed in the car and how I felt. I knew that this was what I had unknowingly been picking up on. I have to say I felt super creeped out upon reading the story, even though I have dealt with the supernatural all my life in one form or another. I have been back to San Miguel in October 1999 and felt virtually nothing that day, but there's always the next time. Definitely a vibe there.
- Shandi Sanders of Atascadero , California on 2008-07-08 said:
- I live not to far from the mission, the locals also say that at night you can see little white lights floating around. Its pretty scary. I never knew there was missing treasure though, thats cool.
Outside References:
- Haunted Places: The National Directory (2002) by Hauck, Dennis, p: 76
- Buried Treasures of California (1995) by Jameson, W.C., p: 27 - 30
- Mysterious California (1988) by Marinacci, Mike, p: 78
- Little Known Tales in California History (1997) by Pryor, Alton, p: 191 - 194
- Ghosts of the Haunted Coast (1986) by Senate, Richard, p: 105 - 107
- Coastal Ghosts of Southern California (2009) by Yasuda, Anita, p: 82 - 85
Last Edited: 2006-11-28
