Temecula Celebrates ​Chapel of Memories Centennial

From the Temecula Valley Museum, City of Temecula: The Chapel of Memories will celebrate its Centennial with a community barbecue tasting located in Sam Hicks Monument Park in Old Town Temecula on Saturday, April 15, 2017 from 12:00 pm to 3:00 pm. This event will be co-hosted by the City of Temecula and the Temecula Valley Museum, Inc. non-profit support group as a commemorative reenactment of an historic event that took place on this date one hundred years ago.

In the spirit of that event, the 100th Anniversary celebration will host a barbeque tasting and birthday
cake for $1.00 per person, first come, first served, while supplies last. Drinks will also be just $1.00.

There will be live entertainment provided by The 2nd Hand Brass Band throughout the afternoon, the
Chapel will be open for viewing, and the Temecula Valley Museum will provide a craft activity for children in the museum. In addition, there will be a photo collage featuring early photographs of the chapel, as well as photographs of the original 1917 barbecue provided by Rebecca Farnbach from the Temecula Valley Historical Society and Marvin Curran from the collection of Mrs. E. Hale Curran.

At the turn of the last century, Temecula was a small railroad town surrounded by a vast cattle ranch, which provided the economic lifeblood of the community. In 1910, a Catholic priest named Father John J. Burri came to Temecula to serve the citizens of the town. Within five years, Father Burri announced his plan for the construction of the first church in town designed specifically to serve as a house of worship for the Catholic congregation. A lot at the corner of Sixth and Front Street was purchased as a location for the new church. A small construction loan was secured through the local bank for the purchase of materials. Construction of the church was completed in March of 1917.

The following month, Mahlon Vail, owner of the Vail Cattle Ranch and a major stockholder in the First National Bank of Temecula, organized and hosted a barbecue at his Pauba ranch headquarters to raise funds to pay off the construction loan. He personally donated a steer. Additional food and funds were donated by local businessmen and townspeople. A fourpiece orchestra provided music for dancing in the evening. Daytime entertainment included boxing and wrestling matches as well as bronco-busting demonstrations by
the Vail ranch hands.

Printed invitations for the April 15, 1917 fundraising event went out to all the local residents. The invitations promoted the event as a “free barbecue,” but admission to the grounds was $1.00. Days later, the local newspaper reported that 800 people had attended the barbecue. Enough money was raised by the event to pay off the $1,200.00 construction loan with enough money left over for the purchase of an automobile for Father Burri.

For more information on this event, please call the Temecula Valley Museum at (951) 694-6450.

Photo courtesy of Temecula Valley Museum