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La Lomita Chapel
Recorded Texas Historic Landmark
Photo courtesy Ken
Rudine, February 2007 |
The
old chapel at La Lomita
was repaired and furnished in 1928 "as a precious relic of the past
and a Shrine to Our Lady of Guadalupe." A hurricane in 1933 caused
damage which was repaired in 1939.
The chapel is also the site of frequent reported sightings of a ghost.
Usually seen as a woman suspended in air while praying, she is believed
to be the spirit of a nun. |
La Lomita Chapel
Photo courtesy Ken
Rudine, February 2007 |
Photographer's
Note:
"We arrived at the Chapel about 11am and spent most of an hour
there. My wife Yvonne parked us near the restroom area. In anticipation,
I turned on my camera as I walked about 30 yards to my first photo.
Now facing the building about 40 feet away, I composed a frontal shot
in the ground glass, I didn’t like this angle but suddenly I noticed
a figure in the doorway. I looked up, directly at my subject to see
a pale object. Instinctively, I tripped the shutter.
A standard drawback to digital cameras, there is that split second
time-lapse between pressing the shutter release and the exposure.
I examined my frame and found nothing unusual. I began to doubt my
eyes and felt whether I had seen the well publicized chapel entity
or not, my photo could not prove it. That being accepted for now,
I proceeded to make many more exposures inside and outside the 108
year old building.
Still lamenting over what I should say about my visit, I closely re-examined
that first exposure which was now on my laptop. Low and behold, there
was an image in the darkness of the doorway. This was the vindication
I sought. My photo proved that I saw and photographed something. Less
than 3 minutes later, I was inside the Chapel and alone. But what
I saw in the doorway was a transparent ectoplasm I illustrated.
But this is not the entire story. The outside of the building is old,
weathered and stained. The grounds of about ten acres are chain-link
fenced and open only during daylight hours. Through the fence, during
twilight it is possible to see these stains as figures, which seem
to float in the air." – Ken Rudine, February 11, 2007 |
La Lomita Chapel
Historical Markers
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Historical Marker:
La Lomita Chapel
Lands for La Lomita
("The Little Hill") Mission came from the 1767 Spanish grant of Joseph
A. Cantu, and were donated in 1861. Used as farms and ranches, the
lands supported the priests and their charities. The original chapel,
built in 1865 at a campsite on Brownsville-Roma Trail has been rebuilt
or restored two or more times. It was relocated at this present site
in 1899. The city of Mission
(5 miles north), Texas, was named for this significant landmark.
Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1964. |
La Lomita Chapel
historical marker
Photo courtesy Ken
Rudine, February 2007 |
La Lomita Chapel
plaque
Photo courtesy Ken
Rudine, February 2007 |
| Texas
Escapes, in its purpose to preserve historic, endangered and vanishing
Texas, asks that anyone wishing to share their local history, stories,
landmarks and vintage/historic photos, please contact
us. |
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