Donner Party Survivors and Descendants

I thought just about everyone had heard the story of the Donner Party but was surprised to find somebody who hadn't. So I will summarize for those who have not. The Donner Party set out west in the 1840's from Illinois. Led by Capt. George Donner, Jacob Donner and James F. Reed the original group set out with 33 people in 9 covered wagons consisting of family and hired hands. Frances Donner (grave in the picture) was among those in the party and the daughter of George Donner. In 1846 the original Donner Party landed in a place called Little Sandy River with another group of emigrants traveling to California via wagon and horses. It was here the two groups decided to take different routes. One stayed on the California Trail that they had been following and the others became part of the Donner Party and decided to take the Hastings Trail which they thought would get them to California faster. When they reached the Sierra Mountains in October a snowstorm blocked their way over what is now known as Donner Pass. Running low on supplies the emigrants had to begin slaughtering their oxen but they could see that it was not enough. So fifteen (10 men and 5 women) set out for Sutter's Fort 100 miles away. When one leader couldn't go on another would take his place and soon they became lost and ran out of food. The survivors then had to resort to cannibalism to survive. By the time they reached safety only 2 men and all 5 women had survived. Rescue parties where then formed and sent back in waves forcing some of the rest to also resort to cannibalism .

The surviving Donners went on to raise families and many of them moved to Northern California. Here you see descendants of Jacob Donner (Georges' Brother). Frances above went on to raise six children with her husband William R. Wilder.

Today many people travel from where I live to Lake Tahoe on trips to the snow. On our way there we can all drive over Donner Pass in our cars. And I don't think a time goes by that the Donner conversation doesn't come up. We all look around in the car and think to ourselves..."If something happens who would I eat first?" It's a sick thing to think about I know. But the Donner story reminds us of what lengths people will go to in order to survive...

St. Catherine of Siena Cemetery Martinez, CA

I've been sitting on this post for well over a week now. You may remember some time ago there was a cemetery nearby that I was having trouble getting in to. After several attempts lasting about 6 months I was finally able to get in. Please read the background story. Now that you've done that here we are 6 months later. I wrote the deacon again just after visiting and I was all ready to come here today and write a scathing article after giving him a week to respond to my email. At first I wasn't going to send an email at all but decided it was best to find out the details before launching into a bunch of accusations. It seemed to me that the cleanup and/or restoration project I spoke about 6 months ago had stalled. Since this cemetery is on a hill I decided I'd start at the top and work my way down. It was then that I noticed the huge piles of rocks and leaves that were supposed to be cleaned up were sitting at the back of the cemetery hidden from the view of the nearby street. As you can see in the second picture here one of the piles appears to be covering someone's grave. And I couldn't tell due to the size of the pile if there were more under there? I thought to myself how careless the people cleaning the cemetery must have been to allow this to happen. The landfill is not too far from here. Couldn't they have just taken it there? Well of course that would probably cost money. Money that maybe the church didn't have at the time. I am still trying to understand the situation without being too upset about it. There is so much work to be done here it seems overwhelming. My emails have now been forwarded to the cemetery maintenance committee. This is where my correspondence stalled last time. My plan is to not let this issue go. People are still being buried here. When I visited there was a fresh grave that still had the funeral flowers on it. Another problem plaguing the cemetery is rampant vandalism. This I cannot point blame at the church, although there are several holes in the fence that could be repaired in the back. It's disheartening that people would come to a cemetery and do this level of destruction. I tried to lift a couple of the stones to see how heavy they were and there's no doubt that this vandalism has been done by a group of people. Most likely young adults or a group of teens that have nothing better to do than destroy history. The cemetery dates back to around 1860 and for somebody to destroy history on this level or at all is beyond description. I have added more pictures of the destruction to my photobucket account. I would also like to end this post with the correspondence between Deacon Albert Dizon and myself. I'm also asking anyone concerned to please email the Deacon (dcnadizon@yahoo.com) and express your concerns if possible. I think if we don't let this issue drop we will get something done here...

Deacon Dizon,

My name is Joe Dallmann and I wrote to you some 6 months ago regarding the state of the cemetery. Yesterday after many months of trying to obtain keys from the police department I was able to finally visit the cemetery itself. I'm not sure if you've personally had a chance to visit it. I was very sad when I visited. There has been a ton of vandalism there and it seems the dead branches and trees I saw them cleaning up on my last visit when I wrote my story on it have been piled at the back of the cemetery. I don't wish to take an accusatory tone as I did in previous emails without knowing the full details of what's going on there? Is there something preventing people from hauling this debris off? I will attach a couple pictures to show what I'm talking about. It seems the piles in the back actually cover some of the graves. No doubt vandalism has plagued this beautiful place. It troubles me to think that people are capable of such destruction in a cemetery. Last time we spoke I volunteered my assistance in helping out here and I can probably get a few others to assist as well. I would again like to extend that invitation and hope that someone will contact me regarding assistance. My company owns a truck and trailer and although it's small we can assist in clearing some of the wood piles and possibly the concrete debris in the back of the cemetery. Originally I intended to write a scathing article regarding the state. And yes I understand that most of these plots are purchased with the intent that the families will take care of cleaning. But what do we do when some of the plots are more than a hundred years old? I can't lift the stones by myself nor do I want to risk damaging them further. I am asking for your help in correcting this problem. Please look at the pictures in case you don't already know what's going on there. Here is the article I wrote 6 months ago... http://cemeteryexplorers..blogspot.com/2009/07/restoration-project-at-st-catherine-of.html

His response:

Hello Mr. Dallmann,

I am so sorry that I did not respond to your email right away. The truth is, I did not open this email until today. I have forwarded your email and pictures to our maintenance committee and our cemetery maintenance coordinator Mr. Pete Carpenter. I am sure he will contact you soon to take you up on your offer.

Thank you for brining this up to our attention and being so understanding with the situation.

God bless you.

Deacon Albert Dizon
St. Catherine of Siena Parish
1125 Ferry St.
Martinez, CA 94553

http://stcatherineofsienamartinez.org/

Wordless Wednesday

Tombstone Tuesday

This was taken at Holy Cross Cemetery in Antioch, CA. It is one of 2 statues I've seen there depicting St. Catherine of Siena at Holy Cross. The other was in a previous post. From the age of 6, Catherine began having visions of angels as clearly as you and I see regular people. By the time she was 16 she became a Dominican Tertiary (A Dominican Tertiary is a lay member of the Dominican Order in the Roman Catholic Church. Such members seek a life of Christian perfection and penance while continuing the normal pursuits of the laity.) She continued to have visions of Christ, Mary and the Saints and was considered one of the most brilliant theological minds of her time. The letters of St. Catherine and a treatise called "The Dialogue" are widely considered some of the most brilliant writings of the Catholic Church. She lived from 1347 - 1380. She is known for receiving the stigmata which only became visible after her death. Her body was discovered in 1430 incorrupt. She appeared as she did the day she died. There are several religious accounts of this happening to other Saints in the Catholic church as well. (See incorruptibles)

Oakview Memorial Antioch, CA - Gaetano E. Seeno

Directly across from the Holy Cross Cemetery in Antioch, CA is the Oak Hill Memorial Cemetery. While visiting the earliest marker I saw was 1876, however it’s possible the cemetery was established around the time Holy Cross was established which was in 1862. Oakview is currently home to approximately 20 acres of interments. The cemetery manager could provide no information on how old the cemetery was or exactly how many burials it contained. He could tell us that toilet bowl cleaner and a pumice stone was the best way to remove calcium deposits from a granite stone. My girlfriend decided that day she was going to clean her grandmother’s stone and I in turn decided that I would peruse the cemetery as she did so. There are many area pioneers buried here but the one that interested me the most was that of G.E. Seeno. Seeno is a popular name in my hometown so I decided to do a little research as to his accomplishments. With the help of a friend who runs the Pittsburg, CA Facebook page as well as some of the volunteers at the Pittsburg Historical Society. I was able to find the following information on G.E. Seeno.

Gaetono Erasmo Seeno – 4/30/1885 – 10/30/1951

Nicknamed Tonno, Gaetano Erasmo Seeno (G.E. Seeno) was born in Isolla Delle Femmine Sicily in 1885. In 1899 at the age of 14 he came to Pittsburg and joined his father Erasmo who was by trade a stone mason and operated a blacksmith and plumbing business in what was then called New York of the Pacific. Then after coal was discovered in the hills the city was renamed Black Diamond. It wasn’t until 1906 with the opening of Columbia Geneva Steel that voters decided to name the city Pittsburg. It was around this time, and coinciding with the San Francisco earthquake that G.E. Seeno would team with his brother to assist in the reconstruction of San Francisco.

In January of 1911 he married Rosa Di Maggio which combined two of the most prominent families in the area. Her parents owned and operated a grocery store and later a macaroni factory. They had four children Helen, Edith, Alverra and a son Albert. Albert became Seeno’s associate in the contracting business. Together they started one of the most lucrative contracting firms in the area. Albert D. Seeno became one of the largest builders in the area along with his sons, created many of the local shopping centers and residential housing tracts on the south-end of Railroad Avenue.

In 1938 G.E. Seeno was elected to city council where he was responsible for negotiating contracts with public works which were instrumental in bringing affordable water rates to Pittsburg residents. He was also instrumental in securing money from federal funds that were granted during WWII for the construction of the Pittsburg Community Hospital.

Overall I believe G.E. Seeno was able to live the American dream. He came from Italy as a bright eyed kid with the belief that the things he wanted to accomplish would require hard work and perseverance. He began a legacy that has lasted through generations of Seeno family members and in his wake he left behind a number of landmarks for Pittsburg residents to enjoy. He is given construction credit for the Masonic Temple, The Buchanan Building which was one of the first major stores in Pittsburg, The Continente and Liberty Hotels, The Ford Garage Building, the Public Loan Building and the Lepori Building.

Sadly G.E. passed in 1951 leaving behind his wife and four children to mourn his death. He is buried at Oakview Memorial along with his wife Rosa Di Maggio Seeno, Daugther Alvera Seeno and her husband Morris D. Carey.

Tombstone Tuesday

(Please Click for Larger Picture)
Ok so this is a picture I took at nearby Holy Cross Cemetery in Antioch, CA. We had been receiving a fair amount of rain at the time. There was a rare break in the rain so we decided to go look at the cemetery. At first I was angry the cemetery was so muddy. I just started taking random shots of the water puddles because I liked the reflections here and there. This was the only usable pic of the reflection. It has been enhanced for color and clarity.

Tombstone Tuesday

This was taken at Oakview Memorial Park in Antioch, CA. I have seen tombstones with rocks or pebbles left on them presumably by family members to signify a visit to a loved ones grave. The thing I found most interesting was the huge boulder someone has placed on this one. I'm not sure if this is customary or if it was left by a giant. Interesting nevertheless...

Lafayette Hillside Memorial

Viewable from the Lafayette Bart station in Lafayette, CA is a monument of sorts which is home to over 5000 wooden crosses to date. I drive by this place at least once or twice a week and always say "One day I'm going to stop and take a picture of that." Well it turns out that today was my day so I'd like to share it with you. This is a memorial was started in November of 2006 by a gentleman by the name of Jeff Heaton to symbolize American men and women that were killed in the Iraq war. Amid the crosses is a sign that tells people exactly what that number is. It has recently been changed to reflect the soldiers that were also killed in Afghanistan as well. That number now stands at 5,166 and is updated every week as necessary to represent the new tally. The property they stand on is owned by Louise Clark and her deceased husband Johnson Clark who happens to be a WWII veteran. Of course when the memorial first got underway there were strong opinions on both sides. Some say it is disrespectful to the troops and others say that it's simply stating a fact. I tend to agree with the latter. I have a brother who is a U.S. Marine and understand his job and what he's supposed to do and fully support him in doing that. It just seems that when you put something into the sort of perspective this memorial does that people tend to get angry and upset with reality. I ask myself questions such as why are we still there? What are we fighting for now? And the reality is my brother has been one of the lucky ones to survive Iraq twice. He's not some pencil pusher that just gets to watch everyone. He's the first one in and the last one out. I hope to never have to put a cross on that hill for him...

Tombstone Tuesday

This picture was taken at Oakview Memorial in Antioch, CA. I found it interesting that it looked more like the stump of a petrified tree than anything else. Even more strange was that somebody had been there to place the flowers. Upon closer inspection the stump in the back was a tree of some kind that was pretty flaky. The whole thing was very puzzling. I looked around and the tree seemed to be the only marker. I had to come back and edit this post because I don't remember seeing that thing on the bottom right of the stump. I have no idea what it is. I took another picture of the backside which I'll include as well...any ideas?

Don't Mess With Big Mama

I had the pleasure of visiting Oakview Memorial Park in Antioch, CA yesterday so my girlfriend could clean her grandmother's headstone. As she was busy scrubbing away I decided it would be a good time to do some exploring. As I was doing my normal observations and taking a few random shots something caught my eye. I see not too far away a headstone that reads as you see here "Big Mama Viola Red". At first I thought that this was just a wonderful name. I know that all these people buried in the cemetery meant to world to someone. But Big Mama struck me as what was probably once the matriarch of her family. I imagined huge get togethers at her house, family and their children running around and everyone eating and having a good time. I'm guessing Big Mama probably had a specialty dish that everyone was always looking forward to. I know for my mom it's always the world famous baked beans. Oh I could taste them as I stood before the grave of Big Mama. I also noticed on the headstone that there was an actual picture of Big Mama as she once lived.I'm not exactly sure why this picture was chosen for the headstone. It looked to me as if Big Mama was trying to say "Don't mess with me. Big Mama is not to be trifled with." She struck me as the same type of person my mom is. The one grandma that had no problem smacking someone elses kid. Well as long as they were semi related. Heck my mom would even smack my friends. So I'd like to say thanks to Big Mama for giving me something to think about yesterday and allowing me to remember how important those times with family and the get togethers are because they definitely don't last forever.

James Rankin 1848-1901

James Rankin is buried at Alhambra Pioneer Cemetery in Martinez California. He wasn't included in my original Alhambra post because I wanted to give him his own bio instead of a short blurb included in that post. James Rankin emigrated from Scotland at the age of 17 and landed in New York. In 1869 he headed to San Francisco and eventually ended up finding work in the Black Diamond Mines located between what is now Pittsburg and Clayton California. Between 1869 and 1884 he worked hard in the mines and rose to the rank of Mine Manager while owning a number of hotels and general stores in the lost towns of Nortonville, Somersville and Stewartsville.He was married in 1869 to Sarah who was the sister of his business partner Sam Brown. In 1884 James was elected to the position of Sheriff of Contra Costa County. This prompted him to move his family to Martinez where they renovated a new home to accommodate his growing family. Between the late 1880's and 1890's Rankin stayed very busy splitting his time between Martinez, the mines, and a 650 acre grain ranch he developed near what was then called New York Landing (Pittsburg, CA). In 1899 amid difficulties the Bank of Martinez asked Rankin to become it's president. He held that post until his death in 1901 at the young age of 53.

Martinez is one of the few cities in my area that have seemed to be able to balance the history of the town along with newer construction. In the downtown area many of the houses of the original pioneers can still be seen and are adorned with plaques indicating who lived there originally. I drove around Martinez looking for the Rankin house to no avail. It still exists I just couldn't find it. Part of his land was turned into what is now Rankin Park. It's a beautiful park with lots of trees and a few hiking trails located not far from the cemetery. James Rankin is no doubt an interesting man who had many accomplishments in his lifetime. One of the people that came here in search of the American dream and actually seems to have found it. I'll leave this post with a bit of speculation. I believe his death was most likely due to his work in the Black Diamond Mines. Many of the people in that area died at an early age. Some due to disease and others just from breathing coal dust for a number of years. I can't imagine that to be healthy.

Wordless Wednesday

Vida B. "In Low"

That Thing Thursday

Most of the genealogy sites I visit do something called "Those Places Thursday". Since I'm not technically a genealogy site I'd like to do my own thing and call it That Thing Thursday. Basically something that makes you say "Look at that thing". This weeks thing is a tiny lizard we were trying to catch at Alhambra the other day. It was a fast little sucker and it decided to climb on my shoe to try and get away. We couldn't resist picking it up and having a look. So this is this week's "That Thing"

Tombstone Tuesday

Little Charlie lies inside the Alhambra Pioneer cemetery in Martinez, CA (see previous post). There is nothing really significant about his tombstone. It did remind me of a video I recently saw on youtube. After seeing this video I couldn't stop repeating the "Ow Charlie that really hurt" Charlie's death is in no way funny but this video sure was. For some reason it's one of those things that I can't help laughing at every time I see it.

Alhambra Pioneer Cemetery Martinez, CA

Well another attempt to gain access to the St. Catherine of Siena cemetery has failed. After having a nice walk and lunch in the historic downtown area of Martinez we decided to visit the police station to obtain the keys that would allow us to visit St. Catherine. I knew there was trouble when the officer began searching through the keys and taking way too long to find them. He came back and said that somebody must already have them. So we decided to take the keys to Alhambra just in case. Alhambra is located directly across the street from St. Catherine. Upon arrival, there was nobody in St. Catherine. So I shrugged my shoulders and we went inside Alhambra.Burials at the Alhambra Pioneer Cemetery are believed to be dated back as far as 1851, however, the first recorded burials began in 1854 with the last being as late as 1999. It is possible that more deeds in the cemetery exist, however, the cemetery overseer may have sold some of the plots to more than one person. The land was originally part of the land grant given by Don Ygnacio Martinez. There is no doubt in my mind that the cemetery site was originally chosen for it's picturesque landscape at the time. Now you see a more industrialized view of what used to be a clear view of the delta. A trainyard and construction area is now located behind the cemetery.Pictured here you see the grave of Eliza Nottingham. For awhile this headstone was missing from the cemetery. I have heard several accounts of how it was found. One says that a man found it in his backyard while digging a swimming pool. Another says that it turned up in an antique shop. In any even Eliza's headstone is now back where it belongs. She was born in Kentucky and there is no information as to when or how she came to California. But Eliza is no ordinary woman. At the age of 9 she was on a family outing and rescued a 4 year old boy from drowning in a creek. That boy later grew up to become the 16th president of the United States. Yes Abraham Lincoln. What would the world be like today if it weren't for Eliza Nottingham? Sometimes the unknown pictures are worth more than the famous ones to me. I felt honored to have stood before her grave.There is so much I could write about this cemetery so I'll probably end up doing individual biographies in future posts but I could not leave this post without talking about the Potter's Field. See Matthew 27:3-8 Buried within the Potter's Field are the bodies of some 600 unknown early California pioneers of Chinese, Mexican, Scottish and Irish descent. Each burial is marked by a stone with a number and is no larger than a loaf of bread. This was the only place in the cemetery where I felt a little strange. I just felt sorrow for all these people who were buried as unknowns most likely due to their lack of status. These were mothers, fathers, brothers and sisters who no doubt meant something to somebody at the time but didn't have enough money for a proper burial. All in all this was a nice trip. Since we had to get a key to get in we had the run of the cemetery by ourselves. It was a really relaxing and peaceful day and I really had fun learning all this information about this cemetery and the people buried within it's gates.

Restoration Project at St. Catherine of Siena Cemetery

When I first visited this cemetery a few months ago I was disappointed to find out that the gates were closed and I could not gain access. The cemetery initially had the appearance of neglect which could partly be attributed to my disappointment and lack of access. I decided I would email the St. Catherine of Siena Parish which is associated with the cemetery. I would like to take this time to apologize publicly to the parish for the accusatory tone I took with my initial email where I stated that I saw the cemetery in a state of disrepair and dilapidation. I was quickly corrected by Deacon Albert Dizon who has been a wonderful help in my research despite my initial accusations. So in light of the information provided by Deacon Albert I decided I would visit the cemetery again and correct my errors in judgement. On my second visit I was glad to see people hard at work clearing dead branches and brush from the cemetery grounds. This is just one of a few measures the parish has taken to assist with the upkeep of the cemetery grounds. They have also hired a number of goats and sheep to assist with weed abatement and it was even covered in the Oakland Tribune. They are currently working E’Clampus Vitas to repair markers as well as organizing volunteer clean up days open to people of all ages to assist with clean up and maintenance of the cemetery grounds. This is a beautiful cemetery which has unfortunately experienced some vandalism no doubt from people with little or no regard for the deceased. I hope to fully explore soon and has a rich history of pioneers, beautiful architecture and that old world feel that attracts me to most of these places. It is said that Don Juan Salvio Pacheco co-founder of Concord is buried here as well as Sam (Simon) Rodia who designed and built the famous Watts Towers in Los Angeles to name a couple. The cemetery gates remain closed, however, access is available anytime by borrowing a key from the Martinez Police Department or from St. Catherine parish office at 1125 Ferry St. between 8:30am and 5pm - Monday to Friday, except holidays. The St. Catherine of Siena Parish itself also shares a rich history in our area and in 1999 their 125th Anniversary. This cemetery is a must visit for any cemetery enthusiast or just anyone wanting to take themselves back to a time long ago. I applaud the efforts of the parish and hope to be able to contribute personally to their restoration project. Again I would like to thank Deacon Albert Dizon for his time and effort contributed to this article. Without his assistance this article would have been nothing more than speculation. So thank you Deacon Albert for providing the facts on this project.

Freaky Friday

I have several pictures with either the heads fully missing or partially missing. I'm told it's because it's really difficult to find a piece of stone that isn't flawed. I'm sure a lot of it has to do with vandalism as well.

Tombstone Tuesday

Ok so it's not really a tombstone but it is a rather large family plot located in Pleasant Hill, CA. We were just driving through to see if we thought anything was interesting as this is a mostly flat cemetery. When up on the hill we came across this family plot. As far as I can tell there is only a gold urn that sits inside and nobody else has been laid to rest as of yet. I felt it would be disrespectful to climb the observation deck so I just snapped a few shots and left. I have no idea who the owners are but this was beautiful. It probably costs as much as a house.

Holy Cross Cemetery - Antioch, CA

This is a cemetery I probably need to visit again. When I first visited I was more interested in the statues than anything else and failed to really get any pictures of the names on the many gravestones and crypts located here. Holy Cross Cemetery was established in 1862 by Dominican priests as a way to serve the burial needs of Catholics in eastern Contra Costa County. I did seem to get a few interesting shots on my first visit which I'd still like to share with you anyway. It's always interesting to me the various ways in which people are remembered by their families whether it be expensive crypts.Like Mr. Bert J. Davi who I can only assume is related to the prominent Seeno family in our area due to his marriage to Edith Seeno in 1935. Basically the Seeno family has been building homes since 1938. There is also a Davi street in Pittsburg which may also have some significance, although I don't recommend going down that way. On the opposite side of that you can find inexpensive ways of remembrance. I found it interesting that you had one Davi remembered in a very expensive almost narcissistic way and then in contrast you have Angela Davi who's grave bears nothing more than a wooden cross. I can only assume they're somehow related as I am still sort of new at this side of exploration and have yet to find the tools or links to put all this stuff together. So for now I'll just leave it to my own observations and find whatever information I can find on these people around the internet. I just have so much love for these wonderful places so full of architecture and beautiful marble and granite work. I can say however, that this cemetery is the only one I've been to where I've really felt a weird vibe. I'm not sure what it was nor can I explain it because I've never seen a ghost or anything like that and I really don't want to. But the energy here did feel sort of weird. This was mainly felt around the crypt section. There are a fair amount of crypts here considering that this side of the cemetery is not really that big. Apparently the entire cemetery is combined with the one across the street and they claim 55 acres total. I didn't know that until today and didn't visit the one across the street because it was mostly flat and didn't appear very interesting. But between them both they claim over 10,000 committal services have taken place so I guess it's bigger than I thought. Once I get used to blogging again I'll make a return trip and get some more information on this cemetery. I'd like to close this post by showing one of the more interesting statutes I found on my visit. This is apparently a statue of St. Catherine of Siena. St Catherine of Siena was a Dominican nun best known for her extraordinary piety and for her stigmata, wounds she received for her adoration of the cross. She is recognized by her stigmata and a crown of thorns or roses, and is usually pictured adoring the crucifix, which sometimes has a lily or rose intertwined. The Skull is a symbol of her penance. Her patronage is sick, nurses, temptation, illness, and firefighters. When I first looked inside the crypt where she is housed it freaked me out a little bit. But this is a beautiful statue. Eventually I will be putting together folders where people can visit each cemetery I visit and see the pictures that were taken there. But alas work comes first and usually gets in the way of everything fun... For more info on this cemetery click here

Rose Hill Cemetery - Black Diamond Mines Regional Perserve

So for my first official post I thought I'd start with where I originally fell in love with cemeteries. Located in Antioch, CA you will find the Black Diamond Mines regional park. From the 1860s through the turn of the last century, five coal mining towns thrived in the Black Diamond area: Nortonville, Somersville, Stewartville, West Hartley and Judsonville. These are now ghost towns and very little besides the mines, which are now closed, remains here to remind us of what these flourishing towns once were. Luckily, although not well preserved during the 1970's, stands Rose Hill Cemetery. This is a small cemetery which was vandalized heavily during the 70's. After doing a few searches on the net I've uncovered several accounts of people claiming that at night you can still hear the sounds of workers who labored day in and day out in the coal mines. Amongst the gravestones lies the grave of Sarah Norton (the midwife in the area and widow of Noah Norton the founder of the town of Nortonville). After talking to the docent at the park I learned the legend. It is said that Sarah Norton was on her way to Clayton in a horse drawn buggy to deliver a baby in October of 1879. One of the horses was scared by a flash of lightning and she was thrown from the buggy and subsequently died. From the story I heard she was not as into the church as much as most of the people in the town. On two occasions the towns people attempted to give her a proper Christian burial. Both attempts failed due to sudden thunder and lightning storms. So on the third attempt it seems they just placed her in the ground and she never received a proper burial. People say she appears as a white figure floating through the cemetery after dark which has given her the name "White Witch". Others say she is just there to watch over the many children who have perished. Overall I'd say this cemetery is worth a visit for the beautiful area it's nestled in. Bring your own water though because it's a half mile hike up hill and there is no water available once you get there. You can also enjoy the miles of trails at Black Diamond as well...For more information and directions to the park you can visit the EBRP Website