Is it legal to collect at Nortonville coal-mining ghost town?

Prohibited, look only. The townsite lies inside Black Diamond Mines Regional Preserve, acquired in 1973 and managed by the East Bay Regional Park District as public parkland; treat it as no-dig.

What can you find at Nortonville coal-mining ghost town?

Indian Head cents, Seated Liberty coins, Welsh and British coins, square nails, coal-mine hardware, harness buckles, buttons, ceramic and bottle fragments

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California

Nortonville coal-mining ghost town

Ghost town Documented siteProhibited, look only

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What you could find

Reported finds from this ground.

Coins and tokens

Nails and fittings

Buttons and buckles

Also reported: Indian Head cents, ceramic and bottle fragments.

Photos via Wikimedia Commons: West Yorkshire Archaeology Advisory Service, Amy Downes, (CC BY-SA 2.0), North Lincolnshire Museum, Martin Foreman, (CC BY 2.0), Unknown (Public domain).

Why this spot

1861-1880s Mount Diablo coalfield town

Largest of five towns in the Mount Diablo Coalfield, founded by Noah Norton beside the Black Diamond Mine and heavily settled by Welsh miners. It peaked at about 900 people in 1882, then emptied within months when the mining company pulled out and took the railroad with it.View source →