Somersville, California facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Somersville
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Former settlement
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 Somersville
Location in California
Somersville
Location in the United States
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| Country | United States |
| State | California |
| County | Contra Costa County |
| Elevation | 741 ft (226 m) |
Somersville is a ghost town located in Contra Costa County, California. A ghost town is a place that used to be a town but is now empty. It is about 6 miles (10 km) north of Mount Diablo. The town sits at an elevation of 741 feet (226 meters) above sea level.
Contents
History of Somersville
How Somersville Started
Somersville was founded in the 1850s. People came here looking for gold and other valuable minerals. The town was named after Francis Somers. He was the person who found the Black Diamond Mine. This mine was very important to the town.
Life in the Mining Town
Somersville was home to several mines. These included the Manhattan, Union, Eureka, Pittsburg, and Independent mines. Miners worked hard in these places. Today, Somersville is no longer populated. It is part of the East Bay Regional Park District's Black Diamond Mines Regional Park. A road in nearby Antioch is named Somersville Road.
The Rose Hill Cemetery
The ruins of Somersville include the Rose Hill Cemetery. Many miners who died in the coal mines are buried here. The cemetery is now looked after by the East Bay Regional Park District. They started taking care of it in the 1970s.
Safety in the Mines
The old mines in Somersville are now sealed. This is to keep people safe. In the past, people sometimes got lost inside the mines. Sealing them prevents anyone from entering.
A Busy Town
Somersville even had its own post office. It was open from 1863 to 1910. A newspaper reporter visited the town in 1870. He wrote about how busy Somersville was.
The town had many stores. There were four general stores and a drug store. It also had a hotel and places for people to stay. There was a doctor, a barber, and a shoemaker. The town had several places to eat and drink.
Somersville also had many community groups. These included the Good Templars and Sons of Temperance. The Odd Fellows and Red Men also had groups. There were two churches, one Protestant and one Catholic. Both churches had many people attending.
The town also had a public school. It was open almost all year. About 75 to 100 students went to school every day. There were two classrooms and two teachers. They helped students learn important subjects.
Digging Up the Past
In 1979, something exciting happened in Somersville. It became the site of a very large archaeology dig. Over 200 students from U.C. Berkeley worked there. They carefully dug through the eastern part of the town. They found thousands of old items. These items helped them learn about life in Somersville.
The Public Broadcasting System (PBS) made a TV show about this project. It was part of a series called Odyssey. The episode about Somersville was called "Other People's Garbage."
