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Summer Lecture Series
July 13 @ 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm
Free with Paid Admission
This summer, the Mission will host a lecture series with talks given by Orange County historians, Chris Jepsen and Eric Plunkett. The dates and topics are listed below. All lectures will be held in the Historic Sala from 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. The lectures will be free of charge to Mission Members, volunteers and with paid admission to the general public. Seating is limited so please R.S.V.P. to Marissa Medina by phone at (949) 234-1321 or by emailing mmedina@missionsjc.com. We hope you can join us.
Orange County History, Part 1: Prehistory through 1889
Saturday, July 1 • 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. Presented by Chris Jepsen
Interested in Orange County’s history, but don’t know where to start? From stone tools to the birth of Orange County, this is the first in a three-part illustrated lecture series by local historian Chris Jepsen.
The Portolá Expedition in Orange County (1769)
Thursday, July 13 • 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. Presented by Eric Plunkett
This lecture seeks to better understand the expedition’s experience in the San Juan Capistrano area and how it affected the Acjachemen people living here.
Orange County History, Part 2: 1889 through 1940
Saturday, July 15 • 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. Presented by Chris Jepsen
History in your own backyard! Spanning from the creation of the county through the Great Depression, this is the second in a series of three illustrated lectures by local historian Chris Jepsen reviewing the story of Orange County.
St. Junípero Serra and the Founding of Mission San Juan Capistrano (1770 – 1784)
Thursday, July 20, 2023 • 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. Presented by Eric Plunkett
This lecture seeks to tell the story of St. Junípero Serra’s five visits to the San Juan Capistrano area.
Hippolyte Bouchard at Mission San Juan Capistrano (1818)
Thursday, July 27, 2023 • 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. Presented by Eric Plunkett
This lecture dives into the story of Hippolyte Bouchard’s raid on the mission and provides a compelling and enlightening window into the mission system during the collapse of the Spanish Empire.
Orange County History, Part 3: 1940 to present
Saturday, July 29 • 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. Presented by Chris Jepsen
Spanning from World War II through our own era, this is the third in a series of three illustrated lectures by local historian Chris Jepsen providing an overview of Orange County’s history.
About Chris Jepsen
Chris Jepsen is an independent historian, “local history evangelist,” frequent lecturer, and longtime president of the Orange County Historical Society. He has written for historical journals, his own O.C. History Roundup blog, government publications, and for six years was Orange Coast Magazine’s “O.C. Answer Man.” Over the years he’s organized tours, developed museum exhibits, documented endangered historic sites, organized non-profit groups, and served on community Historic Resources Boards.
About Eric Plunkett
Eric Plunkett is an educator in the Placentia Yorba-Linda Unified School District. A native of Placentia, he graduated with a degree in history from California State University Fullerton in 2008. He has published several articles and co-authored the book, The Portolá Expedition in Orange County 1769-2019, with the late historian, Phil Brigandi. He maintains a blog with articles related to the early history of the Orange County area at www.visionsofcalifornia.blogspot.com
