Rose Hill - a Comprehensive History of a Pioneer Cemetery
in the Mount Diablo Coal Field
by Traci Parent
From the 1860s to the turn of the 20th century, Black Diamond was the site of California's largest coal-producing region. Known as the Mount Diablo Coal Field, the area once boasted the live thriving communities of Nortonville, Somersville, Stewartville, West Hartley, and Judsonville.
Rose Hill Cemetery was created in the early 1860s and served as a Protestant burial ground for the coal field families. Although over 200 burials have been documented through research, it is likely that more interments exist.
With over 600 images, including photographs and contemporary newspaper accounts, "Rose Hill - a Comprehensive History of a Pioneer Cemetery" documents the individuals buried at this site.
School children from all over the San Francisco Bay Area visit this historic spot annually to team about community history. Park visitors often make the cemetery a destination point when exploring some of the over 60 miles of hiking trails within the Preserve.
Individuals with information or photographs regarding Rose Hill Cemetery are encouraged to contact the East Bay Regional Park District, www.ebparks.org.
Traci Parent has been documenting gravesites and researching the individuals buried in historic Rose Hill Cemetery for over 30 years. She is Supervising Naturalist at Black Diamond Mines Regional Preserve, one of 65 East Bay Regional Parks. Parent is a board member and past president of the Contra Costa County Historical Society. She co-authored the book "Images of America -Black Diamond Mines Regional Preserve."
In June 2008, Parent received the Scholastic/Authorship Award from the Conference of California Historical Societies for her research and documentation for this book, "Rose Hill - a Comprehensive History of a Pioneer Cemetery in the Mount Diablo Coal Field".
Please add $5.00 shipping/handling for the first book and $1.00 for each additional book to cover USPS 2-3 day Priority Service.
Books may be picked up at the History Center during regular hours or shipped. Mail check or money order (made payable to "Contra Costa County Historical Society") to:
Contra Costa County Historical Society
610 Main Street
Martinez, CA 94553-1129
Telephone: 925-229-1042
Fax: 925-229-1772
e-Mail: info@cocohistory.com
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