Manuscripts

Mission San José: a pen sketch of the days of the old mission

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Description: This manuscript is an account of early California history and in particular the Mission at San José. Bishop writes in poetic terms about the beauty of early California, and traces the origins of the Mission back to Junípero Serra. Of the site of the Mission, which he describes in great detail, Bishop writes: "If this was not an earthly paradise, then such could not be found on the face of the globe." Bishop not only describes the Mission physically, but also the general routine of daily life there in the days following its founding in 1776.
Type: Manuscripts(Opens in new tab)
Production date: 1891.
Call number: mssHM 19064
Creator: Bishop, Amasa Wright(Opens in new tab)

Old Mission San Diego

Visual Materials

Image of the adobe building of the Mission in San Diego, California.

photCL_555_01_2307

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Martyrdom of the R.R. Fathers of the Mission of Santiago

Manuscripts

This manuscript describes the experiences of the priests at the Mission of Santiago. In Spanish. With historiated initial.

mssHM 4039

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John Q. Adams Recollection of Early Theatricals in San Francisco

Manuscripts

This essay was read by Adams before the California Historical Society on April 8, 1890. Adams states that "the Stage is the mirror of mankind; the reflex of society." He begins with a poetic description of California, then relates the first days of paying entertainment in San Francisco, in the form of "Mr. Rowe's the first Circus." He describes the early city of San Francisco as he remembers it, and reports that the first concert in the city's history was given on June 22, 1849 by Stephen C. Massett. The first theater was The Eagle Theater, which opened in late 1849 as a covered tent, and the first performance was of "The Wife, or A Tale of Mantua" given on January 16, 1850, given by the Eagle Theater Company. Adams reminisces of theater manager Tom Maguire and the various theaters under his management, and of the Adelphi Theater, built in 1851. Adams reports that the French, Chinese, and Germans had their own performances as well, and that there was Spanish bullfighting and horse racing near the Mission Dolores. He writes of many performers, including Adelaide Neilson and Edwin Forrest. When the Metropolitan Theatre opened in 1853, it was lauded as "the most magnificent temple of histrionic art in America," according to Adams.

mssHM 19063

Old Mission & Parsonage San Gabriel

Visual Materials

View of a woman in a horse carriage outside the mission, with an adobe building on the left.

photPF 588

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Old Mission San Louis [sic] Rey, San Diego Co

Visual Materials

View of the front facade of the Mission San Luis Rey Mission in San Diego County, California.

photPF 20121

Old adobe mission San Gabriel

Visual Materials

A group of men wearing dark clothing and a horse, stand in front of a building at the San Gabriel Mission. A few other adobe buildings are visible behind it to the left.

photCL 74 (601)

Mission San José: a pen sketch of the days of the old mission

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