Centerville, Humboldt County, California
Coordinates: 40°34′29″N 124°20′53″W / 40.57472°N 124.34806°W
| Centerville | |
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| — Former settlement — | |
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 Centerville
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| Coordinates: 40°34′29″N 124°20′53″W / 40.57472°N 124.34806°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | California |
| County | Humboldt County |
| Elevation[1] | 13 ft (4 m) |
Centerville (formerly, Centerville City and Centerville Beach)[2] is a former settlement in Humboldt County, California.[1] It was located 4.5 miles (7 km) west of Ferndale,[2] at an elevation of 13 feet (4 m).[1]
Centerville was founded in 1852, and served as a trans-shipment point for oil from Petrolia to Eureka and was at its height during the 1850s to the 1870s.[2]
In 1857 Arnold Berding, a native of Germany arrived in Humboldt County and set up a store, hotel, livery and post office at the now-abandoned village of Centerville where Abraham Lincoln appointed him the first and only postmaster of the town.[3]
In January 1860, residents provided assistance and shelter to survivors of the wrecked steamship Northerner.[5] Shortly after the victims were buried in a mass grave marked by the Centerville Beach Cross the wreck salvage was sold at auction at Berding's Centerville store.[6]
The Centerville Beach Cross Historic Marker was erected in 1921,[7] wrecked by the 1992 Cape Mendocino Earthquakes but rebuilt and rededicated afterwards.
Centerville Beach is administered as a Humboldt County Park.[7]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Northerner (ship, 1847) |
References [edit]
- ^ a b c U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Centerville, Humboldt County, California
- ^ a b c Durham, David L. (1998). California's Geographic Names: A Gazetteer of Historic and Modern Names of the State. Quill Driver Books. p. 36. ISBN 9781884995149.
- ^ Genzoli, Marilyn (1994). The Victorian Homes of Ferndale: A Pictorial Guide and History. Ferndale, CA: The Ferndale Museum. p. 16.
- ^ Wright, E.W., ed. (1895). Lewis & Dryden's Marine History of the Pacific Northwest. Portland, Oregon: The Lewis & Dryden Printing Company. pp. 95–96.
- ^ Vincent, Francis (1860). Semi-Annual United States Register. Philadelphia: Francis Vincent. pp. 14–18.
- ^ The Ferndale Museum; Bess Carol, Beryl Newman and Ann Roberts, editors (2004). Images of America: Ferndale. Charleston, South Carolina: Arcadia Publishing. p. 128. 0-7385-2890-0.
- ^ a b CERES State Historical Landmarks. "CERES State Historical Landmarks". CERES.
