Benicia in Solano County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)

Father Peter Augustine Anderson, OP

Martyr to Charity

Photographed by Douglass Halvorsen, July 25, 2025

1. Martyr to Charity Marker

Inscription. Born in New Jersey in 1812, a convert to the church, renowned preacher and missionary, Peter Augustine Anderson was the first American Dominican to work in California and the first priest to offer mass in the Sacramento Valley. He was stricken with cholera while caring for the sick in a 49er mining camp during a cholera epidemic, died on November 27, 1850. In 1854 Fr. Vilarrasa had his body brought to Benicia for honored burial beneath the altar of the first church. He was 39 at the time of his death.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Charity & Public Work • Religion & Religious Structures.

Location. 38° 2.902′ N, 122° 8.999′ W. Marker is in Benicia, California, in Solano County. It can be reached from East I Street, on the left when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 475 E I Street, Benicia CA 94510, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in California’s San Francisco Bay Area,

in Sacramento Valley,

and specifically in the Central Valley.

It is also on the American Pacific Coast.

Globally, it is in North America,

on the Ring of Fire,

in the Pacific Rim,

in the Western Hemisphere,

in the Western World,

and in the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain

and also Mexico’s Alta California.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: In Memory of the 100th Anniversary of Saint Dominic’s Parish of Benicia (a few steps from this marker); Saint Paul's Episcopal Church (approx. 0.4 miles away); 1854 – Saint Paul’s Episcopal Church – 1954 (approx. 0.4 miles away); Hayes Building (approx. half a mile away); The Bohn Building

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(approx. half a mile away); First Masonic Hall Built in California (approx. half a mile away); Prisoner-of-War Burials (approx. half a mile away); Norman V. Gonsalves, Sr. (approx. half a mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Benicia.

More about this marker. The marker is located on the east side of Saint Dominic’s Catholic Church.

Regarding Father Peter Augustine Anderson, OP. Father Peter Augustine Anderson is buried at the St Dominic Cemetery in Benicia.

Also see . . . Father Peter Augustine Anderson, OP. A nice biography of Father Peter Augustine Anderson, OP, written by Fr John Dwyer, and printed January 1, 1976 in The Catholic Herald. (Submitted on September 13, 2025, by Douglass Halvorsen of Klamath Falls, Oregon.)

Peter Augustine Anderson Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Douglass Halvorsen, July 25, 2025

2. Peter Augustine Anderson Marker

Photographed by Douglass Halvorsen, July 25, 2025

3. Peter Augustine Anderson Marker

Saint Dominic’s Catholic Church image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Douglass Halvorsen, July 25, 2025

4. Saint Dominic’s Catholic Church

Credits. This page was last revised on September 14, 2025. It was originally submitted on September 13, 2025, by Douglass Halvorsen of Klamath Falls, Oregon. This page has been viewed 63 times since then and 12 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on September 13, 2025, by Douglass Halvorsen of Klamath Falls, Oregon. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.