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Saint Paul African Methodist Episcopal Church, Santa Barbara

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2025. 10 historic topographic surveys show this location, the earliest from 1944.

From the record

One of 38 National Register listings published here for Santa Barbara County · listed in 2025 · category: Building.

Sources: the National Register database, National Park Service

The listing

  • What is counted as historic. The nomination lists 3 buildingss, 1 object as contributing to the listing.
  • Still standing. The Park Service records this property as extant.
  • Address. 502 Olive Street, Santa Barbara, 93101
  • When was it listed? January 2025
  • Category. building
  • Also known as. African Americans in California, 1850-1974 MPS
  • Census division. Santa Barbara
  • National Register reference number. 100011289 - assigned by the National Park Service when the property was listed.

Then and now

1944 to 1995

The ground this property stands on, surveyed 51 years apart. Drag the handle to wipe between them. Both sheets are United States Geological Survey originals; neither has been altered.

Topographic sheet covering Saint Paul African Methodist Episcopal Church, Santa Barbara, surveyed 1995
Topographic sheet covering Saint Paul African Methodist Episcopal Church, Santa Barbara, surveyed 1944

Fires near this property

55 since 1992

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 55 fires within 5 miles of Saint Paul African Methodist Episcopal Church, Santa Barbara between 1992 and 2020, burning about 16,309 acres in total. 1 started naturally. 1 was recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Reported cause Fires
Missing data/not specified/undetermined33
Equipment and vehicle use9
Smoking3
Debris and open burning3
Recreation and ceremony2
Arson/incendiarism1
Natural1
Power generation/transmission/distribution1
Fireworks1
Other causes1

The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.

DateCause SizeReported by Name on the report
25 September 2017Missing data/not specified/undetermined2,000 acresCalifornia Department of Forestry & Fire Protectionnot named
22 September 2005Other causesunder an acreLos Padres National ForestFLORES
10 September 2011Natural300 acresSanta Barbara County Fire Departmentnot named
6 August 2020Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreSanta Barbara County Fire Departmentnot named
20 August 2012Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreSanta Barbara County Fire Departmentnot named
19 August 2020Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreSanta Barbara County Fire Departmentnot named
12 August 1992Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreLos Padres National ForestYOGI
9 July 2013Missing data/not specified/undetermined1.0 acresSanta Barbara County Fire Departmentnot named

Every fire recorded in Santa Barbara County

Mines and quarries near this property

4 within 5 miles

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 4 workings within 5 miles of Saint Paul African Methodist Episcopal Church, Santa Barbara: 2 past producers, 1 occurrence, 1 producer. 1 still produces. What was taken out: Magnesite, Stone, Crushed/Broken, Sand and Gravel, Construction, Clay. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Where SiteCommodity StatusRecorded
Carpinteria DepositClay, MontmorillonitePast Producer
Garey Pit and MillSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer
Hogan QuarryStone, Crushed/BrokenPast Producer
Unnamed LocationMagnesiteOccurrence

Every working recorded in Santa Barbara County

Storms near this property

28 since 1993

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Santa Barbara, the town this property stands in, in 28 storm reports between 1993 and 2025: 12 flash flood, 5 thunderstorm wind, 5 flood, 2 waterspout. The reports record 3 injuries. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.

WhenEvent Place namedHarm What the report says
September 2017Thunderstorm WindSanta Barbara2 hurtA severe thunderstorm generate damaging microburst winds across the city of Santa Barbara. Thunderstorm wind gusts up to 80 MPH were reported. With such strong winds, widespread significant damage was reported, including many trees being uprooted. Along San Pascual Street, a high voltage power line was knocked down, resulting in major burn injuries for one male. At Stearns Wharf, numerous boats were washed ashore and one teenage female was injured.
October 1998WildfireSanta Barbara1 hurtThe combination of dry vegetation and weak offshore winds helped fuel a wildfire in the Los Padres National Forest, north of the city of Santa Barbara. The Ogilvy Fire, started by sparks from weed cutting, burned over 4,200 acres of forest. One minor injury was reported.
December 2008Flash FloodSanta Barbara$10,000Bands of showers produced intense rainfall rates across the Tea Fire burn area. Rainfall rates in excess of 0.50 inches per hours were reported. The intense showers produced mud and debris flows which forced the closure of East Mountain Drive south of the burn scar.
October 2025Thunderstorm WindSanta Barbara$2,000Strong thunderstorms generated gusty winds. In the community of Santa Barbara, a large tree was knocked down, striking a vehicle. No injuries were reported.
February 2024Flash FloodSanta Barbara-California Highway Patrol reported the full closure of Highway 192 for several miles due to flooding.
February 2024Flash FloodSanta Barbara-Heavy rainfall generated flash flooding that resulted in the closure of Highway 144 near Milpas Street.
February 2024Debris FlowSanta Barbara-Heavy rainfall resulted in several large boulders (about half the size of a car) blocking Gibraltar Road.
February 2024Debris FlowSanta Barbara-Heavy rainfall generated a mudslide across Sycamore Canyon Road near the intersection with Coyote Road.
January 2023Flash FloodSanta Barbara-Heavy rainfall produced flash flooding on Highway 101 near Bath Street. Several vehicles were stuck in the flood waters.
December 2023Flash FloodSanta Barbara-Significant flooding was reported on Highway 101 at the offramp for Mission Street. Over four feet of water flooded the offramp.
December 2023Flash FloodSanta Barbara-Significant flooding was reported along Highway 101 at the Castillo Street offramp. Vehicles were turning the wrong way to try to avoid the flooding. Eventually, both the onramp and offramp were closed.
December 2023Flash FloodSanta Barbara-Significant flooding was reported along Highway 101 at the Mission Street onramp and offramp. Hard closures were reported.
December 2023Flash FloodSanta Barbara-Significant flooding was reported along Highway 101 at the Garden Street onramp and offramp. Hard closures were reported.
December 2023Flash FloodSanta Barbara-Significant flooding was reported in the city of Santa Barbara. Several business, as well as the Superior Court House, reported significant flooding.
December 2023Flash FloodSanta Barbara-Significant flooding was reported in the city of Santa Barbara. Numerous reports of vehicles stuck in flooded roadways, requiring rescues.
February 2010Flash FloodSanta Barbara-Heavy showers produced mud and debris flows in and around the Tea, Gap and Jesusita Burn areas in southern Santa Barbara county. Automated rain gauges indicated rainfall rates as intense as 0.40 inches in 30 minutes. Per reports from the USGS, significant mud and debris flows quickly filled the catch basins.
January 2010Thunderstorm WindSanta Barbara-A microburst developed in the community of Santa Barbara. The downburst occurred along West Haley Avenue between Bath and De La Vina Streets. Several flowering trees were toppled upon power lines and vehicles.
February 1993Thunderstorm WindSanta Barbara-Intense thunderstorms with strong winds and heavy rains, hit the Santa Barbara area. Many trees were uprooted and power lines downed.
February 1993Thunderstorm WindSanta Barbara-Ventura, Los Angeles, Orange, and San Diego Counties ,Bands of thunderstorms moved in along the coast of southern California, from Santa Barbara to San Diego Counties. The strongest storms were in northern and central Orange County. Rainfall amounts ranged from a 0.25 to 0.50 inch of rain in 1 hour. Heavy rains, frequent lightning, small hail, and gusty winds were associated with the storms. Winds up to 35 mph were reported with some thunderstorms in Los Angeles and northern Orange Counties.
October 2004Flash FloodSanta Barbara-no account filed
October 2004Funnel CloudSanta Barbara-no account filed
November 2001FloodSanta Barbara-no account filed
February 2000FloodSanta Barbara-no account filed
April 2000FloodSanta Barbara-no account filed
October 2000FloodSanta Barbara-no account filed
March 1999FloodSanta Barbara-no account filed
December 1999WaterspoutSanta Barbara-no account filed
February 1997WaterspoutSanta Barbara-no account filed

Every storm recorded in Santa Barbara County

Maps showing this location

10 surveys

United States Geological Survey topographic sheets whose coverage includes this point. Matched by taking the coordinate the National Park Service records for this property, then testing that coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet.

Listed places nearby

6 within 8 miles

Other National Register properties close enough to walk or drive between, ordered by distance from this one. Both positions come from the same geocoding pass that matched these properties to their map sheets.

Photograph PropertyDistance Listed
Rafael Gonzalez House0.4 miles1970
Santa Barbara Presidio0.5 miles1973
Andalucia Building0.5 miles1999
Faith Mission0.5 miles1982
Virginia Hotel0.5 miles2000
Herschell, Allan, 3-Abreast Carousel0.6 miles2000

Sources for this property

National Archives recordThe nomination case file for reference 100011289 in Record Group 79.
Santa Barbara CountyAll 38 listed properties in this county.

Provenance

  • Listing record. National Park Service National Register of Historic Places, listed-properties dataset, current to 2026-05-22.
  • Map join. Address geocoded through the United States Census geocoder, then tested against the published boundary of every sheet in the USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection.
  • How this page is made. Listing fields come from federal records; map-sheet coverage is a labelled coordinate-to-boundary calculation, not a source-field claim.
  • Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
  • Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
  • Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.