This cryptic plaque is on a building known as The Witches Tower in San Diego's Presidio Park and reads:
"SYLVESTER PATTIE
PATHFINDER
LEADER OF THE FIRST PARTY
OF AMERICANS INTO ALTA
CALIFORNIA OVER SOUTH-
ERN TRAILS.
ARRIVED AT SAN DIEGO PRESIDIO
MARCH 27, 1828
AN OFFICER IN THE WAR OF 1812
BORN IN KENTUCKY AUGUST 25, 1782
DIED NEAR THIS SPOT APRIL 24, 1828
FIRST AMERICAN BURIED IN CALIFOR-
NIA SOIL.
COMMEMORATING ALSO HIS SON
JAMES OHIO PATTIE
AND COMPANIONS
JESSE FERGUSON, WILLIAM POPE
NATHANIEL PRYOR AND ISAAC SLOVER"
some more information from
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"After countless hours of research on San Diego's Presidio Hill area, and many unanswered E-mails to the San Diego Historical Society, the following information is my best 'guess' of the History of this possibly haunted structure. To the Best of my Knowledge, the story goes like this...
The structure known as 'The Witches Tower' was used at one time as a guardhouse and a makeshift jail, and today is known as "THE PATTIE MEMORIAL".
The Pattie Memorial sits on the spot where Sylvester Pattie, who came to San Diego on March 27, 1828.
He and his son, James Ohio Pattie, along with six other men decided to undertake an expedition into New Mexico from St. Louis. The group eventually got lost and crossed the New Mexico desert into California as a last resort to stay alive. They found their way to the Presidio of San Diego and begged for just enough food, gear and horses for a return trip. However, the Governor of San Diego, Jose Maria de Echeandia, did not believe them. Rather, he believed this group had been sent to spy for the Spaniards who, he believed, still desired to take back control of California.
Echeandia sent them to the guardhouse, which was converted to a makeshift jail, where they were held captive for many years. The elder Pattie died in this building before he could be freed with-in the first year of captivity. He is reputed to be the first American to die in California.
James and the rest of the group were eventually freed, on condition that Pattie should vaccinate the mission Indians, who were dying in great numbers from an epidemic of smallpox.
Nothing could be found about the cobblestone pentagram, or when this guardhouse was originally constructed. However this next set of pictures show the guardhouse as part of the original walls that surrounded the mission, and they also show the roof with-out the pentagram."