The Spanish missions which dot the California coast have long been rumored to be filled with vengeful spirits of the peoples who were conquered in the European bid for control of the Pacific Coast of America.
Lompoc’s La Purisima Mission itself has a long history of ghostly sightings and strange activity, particularly at night.
Photo credit: flickr/johnmueller
Updated 2/10/2020 – The Chumash people were subjugated here and after Spanish control in the area was broken, the soldiers took to abusing the natives.
It’s a great place for a day hike, or to go see some of the curiosities of this era of American history
At night, however, the place takes on a frightening demeanor which is often enough to make sure that a first nighttime visit is the last one.
Haunting, Pale Apparitions
The paranormal activity in this area is absolutely enormous.
As usual, however, it begins with ghosts.
There’re rumors of both ghostly natives and soldiers roaming the grounds at night, transparent and pale these apparitions seem to be harmless and rarely interact with visitors.
Indeed, they seem to be just going through their daily routines for the most part.
Most seekers will be able to spot one or two around the area at night.
They seem to be mostly harmless curiosities, less than ghosts.
They’re just imprints, as though the people were so settled into their daily routine they just continued with it after they left this world.
Cult Occurrences At La Purisima Mission
Photo credit: flickr/aliscarpulla
Far more concerning to the would-be ghost hunter is the rumors of occult powers that run through the nearby town of Lompoc.
It’s rarely talked about to outsiders, but the rumor is that the Catholic priests who still use the mission for services have fallen into something darker than their religion.
At night, the cautious and quiet visitor might observe hooded figures moving among the buildings that make up the remaining areas of the mission.
These figures shouldn’t be disturbed if you come across them.
While there have been no recorded disappearances, more than one would-be seeker has found themselves fleeing from the area while being followed.
The Damned Priesthood
Photo credit: acreativeuniverse.com
Legend has it that after the Mission lost its support from the church the soldiers began to go mad and the priests dabbled with the worship of a tri-faced god despite the protests of the natives.
The robed figures are said to be the followers of this cult and their leaders have actually experienced physical mutations for their service.
They’re said to carry out their blasphemous experiments to this day in the pursuit of power.
The large transient population of the nearby town gives them access to plenty of “experiments” without raising much attention.
What exactly goes on in these rituals is up for debate, no one has actually gotten much closer than seeing the glow of the fires and hearing ominous chanting and returned to talk about it.
Conclusion
The rumors make one thing clear: the unwary should be cautious about approaching the mission at night.
Thrill-seeking can be risky here, and it’s wise to take a number of precautions before venturing out.
La Purisima Mission has a well-deserved, dark reputation and the unwary may find themselves in over their heads without much warning.