The Paranormal & Ghost Society

Legal Disclaimer: The Paranormal & Ghost Society its Pictures, Website Content, Videos, EVP's, AngelOfThyNight Radio Comedy & Paranormal Show, Theories, Satire, Articles, Content and Features are for Educational Purposes, Personal Usage, Entertainment Purposes and Research Only. Thus we have the right to reserve and use the following content legally and willfully! Content is NOT for redistribution, monetary gain or profit! All information is produced for theoretical examination, student projects, scholars and other educational institutions to be used in historical and analytical research. Do NOT try this at home for entertainment purposes ONLY! All locations are considered dangerous, unsafe and illegal to enter without permission. By browsing our website you agree to not withhold The Paranormal & Ghost Society and Lord Rick aka AngelOfThyNight Its Founder liable as our viewers assume all risk & liabilities! Warning: Viewer Discretion is advised and some content may be ONLY suitable for mature audiences!

US LAW

We believe that our use of any such digital material & media constitutes a 'fair use' as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on The Paranormal & Ghost Society's Website at www.paranormalghostsociety.org, facebook at www.facebook.com/AngelOfThyNight and our youtube at www.youtube.com/AngelOfThyNight is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for news, travel, research and educational purposes. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml

The old Pilot Hill Cemetery was previously known as Centerville or rather Pittsfield Cemetery which was established in 1850 during the gold rush. Many mining camps were transitioning at the time into towns and life was harsh here as most of them were up in the high sierras. Therefore people died from illness and if that did not kill you tragedy might whether it was with the natives or your wagon ended up going over a cliff. The first recorded burial within this cemetery transpired in 1850 however I read that its quite possible a couple other burials may have occurred prior to this. Nobody knows for sure as during the gold rush many pioneers were just buried on hills or by mines or behind peoples cabins. Most of the miners that came to Centerville originally derived from the nearby gold rush town of Coloma California and eventually spread there wings seeking riches in the hills surrounding it hence the founding of Centerville.

The cemetery was deeded to ElDorado County in 2002 and is roughly about an acre in size with approximately 210 interments. Of course the gravestones found here tell another story because only half of them exist while most burials here are simply unmarked or stones are left crumbling on the ground. With that being said we found quite allot of bones which point to them being more then likely human therefore its rather a sad site to see especially after we concluded our investigation here. Despite those factors there supposedly is 24 pre-purchased plots who are residents of Pilot Hill who plan on continuing to utilize this cemetery. My concern would be that due to all the unmarked burials they may find that those plots may not be usable in the future. It would appear the oldest section or historic part of the cemetery is off limits for future burial due to so many graves being missing they have no way to know where everyone is buried at as some gravestones have been moved or are leaning against trees. Currently their are plans to erect a new burial ground nearby that can hold 1000 interments therefore more then likely the old Pilot Hill Cemetery will see very little use in the future.

The cemetery itself is really all that remains of old Centerville besides the Cronan Ranch and Bayley House all wonderful historical relics just down the road from the cemetery. It was John C. Fremont and his men who visited this region in 1844. They were following an old Indian trail leading westward through the Sierras and eventually descending over the foothills above the Sacramento Valley. They called it this based on the promontory which rises above the surrounding ravines and hills upon which pilot fires were lit to guide travelers to the area during the gold rush. I have spent a good deal of my time trying to revisit all the wonderful places Fremont explored and so far every one of them has been good to me. Old Centerville being one of them more then likely this cemetery could have been at one time an encampment for his party the thought at least is rather exciting!

The Mining Camp was established in 1849 and they called it Centerville. By 1854 the camp had a post office established in 1854 and place mining transpired all the way up until the later 1850's. As a matter in fact I read a story about two miners who found a boulder of quartz in 1857 laced with gold. The miners shipped the gold off to San Francisco to have it assayed and found it to have a net worth of about $1,700 which in today's times would be worth easily five times that much. But the find is what led to allot of the placer mining performed at the Pilot and Rock Creek Canals. But sooner then later the miners took everything along the local creeks. All that really is left of this camp is the pioneers buried on this hill and in this very cemetery. Sure their were other mining camps in the area some ended up becoming large bustling towns but chances are many of the pioneers who came to Pilot Hill seeking its riches also ended up at some point mining of trying to better there lives in the nearby boom towns on Folsom Lake, Hangtown or Salmon Falls. While many of the pioneers were buried in this very cemetery others were buried in the Mormon Island and Placerville Old City Cemeteries which are also in the region just a matter of miles away.

Allot of ranches today exist in the area the town however is long gone. Grapes, Olives and Lavender can be picked seasonally in the area along the historic Salmon Falls Road. As a matter in fact if you were to visit this cemetery you will see a ranch next to it with a barn and grazing livestock. At one time things may have looked allot different you probably had saloons, restaurants, hotels etc that lined the street with the cemetery on the hill. Today though a new influx of folks are having homes built in the area and on sites that use to be part of the original town. Things are a bit more quiet then they were years ago when miners were mining and people were drinking in the saloon.

Just down the road from the cemetery is the Bayley House also known as Bayley's Folly which was built by Alcander A. Bayley in 1862 whom arrived to the area in 1849 on the Edward Everett then made the trek to Centerville shortly after. He actually owned and operated the Oak Valley House which burned down in 1861. The house was a restaurant, saloon and hotel for the pioneers. More then likely many of the pioneers buried in this cemetery at one time or another may have drank at this saloon or even rented a room. After the fire Bayley built his mansion which was three stories, made with thousands of bricks fired at the site and its six massive squared pillars which supported a second story veranda. The mansion had 22 rooms and luxurious furnishings in addition to the wine cellar and two ball rooms. Bayley built this mansion in Pilot Hill with hopes that the Central Pacific Railroad would pass close by thus making this area a stop along the route therefore he felt people would utilize his hotel. The grand opening took place in May of 1862 however just a short time later Alcander Bayley's dream never transpired as the railroad changed its route bypassing Pilot Hill completely. Today the mansion is abandoned up on a hill not far from the cemetery so with that being said you can clearly see I have done a thorough job in trying to connect the dots at least to what is left of old Centerville.

Pilot Hill offers allot of hidden jewels its very easy to pass by this graveyard as a matter of fact it would appear that it gets so very few visitors. The mansion on the hill is dilapidated while the cemetery is a bit in peril it would appear that people come up from the Sacramento Valley just to abuse these places and that saddens me greatly considering they are symbols of this once great gold rush town that sprung up not to far from where gold was originally discovered in the 1840's. These pioneers are a reminder of the resiliency and strength our early ancestors possessed to brave the west. Today if dead men could tell tales what would they say? Even the Bacchi Family plot is found here just down the road from the historical Cronan Ranch which provided livestock, beef, wool and possibly even crops for those living in Pilot Hill in the mid 1800's. Therefore, with that being said you can start to see how everything in the region is connected historically. Its very easy to forget or miss tidbits like this therefore we try to connect the dots for our viewers so they can enjoy semi ghost towns like Centerville which many have thought no longer existed. At least not until you been to our site and seen locations such as this historical cemetery!

Copyright By
Lord Rick aka AngelOfThyNight
PGS Founder
Author, Producer, Talk Show Host and Paranormal Investigator

Our Site Banners Help Get Us Linked

Click each one to Enlarge & Save It

Custom Search

AngelOfThyNight On Twitter AngelOfThyNight's Personal Blog AngelOfThyNight On Youtube ParanormalGhostSociety At Yahoo

Although we do not require it we ask that each viewer donates leisurely or subscribes therefore we ask that you take the time to gift us even if its minimal. All proceeds go towards the cost to maintain our site, equipment, gear and other services. For years we have taken our donations and applied them towards many of the trips that you see visible on our site. We know that times are tough so we are not asking you to go broke donating to our cause therefore donate leisurely when you can. On an average PGS spends more then we ever receive from the volunteer work that we do. Our equipment does often break down due to the elements and more then often it needs dire replacement. Please use the donate button to gift The Paranormal & Ghost Society when its at your convenience or if you prefer to gift us yearly you can do so using the subscribe button. As a Gold or Platinum member YOU WILL recieve a copy of AngelOfThyNight Radio on disc which contains hours of stand up comedy, bloopers, entertainment and various paranormal topics. The more seasons we perform the more episodes you will recieve on disc. Since we are a nonprofit group there is no monetary gain even if you donate a dollar a month we thank you for your support and loyalty. I want our viewers to know the hardwork that comes with our explorations which go all the way from dangerous expeditions to being broken down in the desert. We have been a reputable Paranormal Group for over ten years and our work has been legendary. What promise will future years hold for us? Find out and help support our cause united as one not because we are asking but because we need your friendship and love for what we do within our society to contineously improve our explorations and services. We THANK each and everyone one of you for your membership with us!

If you have any questions you can email us at AngelOfThyNight@aol.com or if you prefer to donate using via postal mail contact us for our Po Box. If you wish to donate using paypal you can can do so at pondercorp57@yahoo.com Their are no refunds so we ask that if you are a member of our society or you are gifting The Paranormal & Ghost Society that this is something you are serious about and want to do even if its a one red cent. Once we recieve donations we apply them immediately towards the website cost, equipment and our budget immediately. AngelOfThyNight and The Paranormal & Ghost Society is a volunteer service composed of our staff who continues to bring our viewers this free site and its services voluntarily. It is important for our viewers to play some involvement with our funding so that we can continue to do so for many more years to come.

"Over 10 Years Of Upstanding Paranormal Eloquence & Service"

Mib, conspiracy, time travel, spectres, Armageddon, prophets, prophecy, paranormal, ghosts, aliens, haunted houses, Cryptozoology, dimensions, apocalypse, Atlantis, curses, monsters, wild man, yeti, cemetery, stigmata, vampyre, vampires, angels, bizarre, metaphysics, Atlanta, Louisiana, Myrtle Beach, planet x, mothman, jersey devil, apparitions, werewolf, werewolves, devils, vortexes, Bermuda triangle, lycanthropes, mystery, ancient, spirits, cydonia, mythology, Charlotte, Atlanta ,Mobile, possession, possess, mailing list, parapsychology, poltergeist, evp, investigation, crop circles, Roswell, abduction, project blue book, living dinosaurs, religious miracles, NY, sightings, north Carolina, south, brown mountain, cleansing, shadowmen, beast, ogopogo, death, portals, spontaneous human combustion, zombies, Ouija boards, nostradamus, Edgar Cayce, art bell, George Nooray, Magick, Paganism, Wicca, Tennessee, Halloween, bigfoot, Sasquatch, ufo, grays, ufos, vortexes, alien, hybrids, Hauntings, demons, demonology, occult, Magick, mystics, lochness, chupacabras, equipment, Thermal, EMF, Cassadaga, energy, asteroid ,civil war, spooky, scary, adventure, ectoplasm, orbs, graveyards, demons, spirits, cults, buffalo, new York, ghost society, logo wear, equipment, books, videos, music, certification, Castles, Forts, fortean, phenomena, nonprofit ,business, investigations, SHC, EMF, ghost hunting, organization, conventions, hollow earth, paranormal & ghost Society, detector, posters, mailboxes, donate, Buffalo, X-files, Ectoplasm, Magick, spells, Wicca, paganism, holy, cross, Armageddon, NWO, Patriot, 911, September 11th, tours, Cryptid, ghost lights, dinosaurs, Florida, Fl, Daytona Beach, Jacksonville, St. Augustine's, Debary, Miami, Tampa bay, Sarasota, Pensacola, NASA, Cape Canaveral, Space Coast, space shuttle, gulf breeze, key west, Sanford, port orange, Ormond beach, New Smyrna, Orlando, Disney world, Tallahassee, Stetson university, panama city, Alabama, Georgia, Savannah, New Orleans, Cocoa Beach, Ocala, plantations, Fort Lauderdale, Melbourne, Naples, Lake Wales, grim reaper, everglades, Seminoles, big cats, Fort Myers's. Petersburg, Lakeland, Gainesville, West Palm Beach, bike week, spring break, Deland, Deltona, Orange City, weird, strange, bizarre, mysterious, rituals, skunk ape, adventure, ships, Bermuda triangle, ghost pirates, ball lightening, Elves, Fairies, Faeries, Dwarves, Mystical, Mystify, Port Orange, Edgewater, Clear Water, FSU, Abandoned, Buildings, Stories, New Age, Occult, Paganism, Tours, Ghost walks, Cydonian, Pyramids, Ancient, Dead, Soul, Spiritual, Metaphysical, Aura, Tarot, Naples, Key West, Ever Glades, Kissimmee, Sanford, Orange City, Volusia County, WNY, Asylum, Entity, Entities, Comet, Space, Ponce Inlet, Dimensions, Mist, Fog, Horror, Radio, Television, Spontaneous Human Combustion, Telepathy, Telekinesis, Magic, pubs, castles, churches, bars, tracks, exorcism, October, Books, Posters, Lake Helen, Fort Lauderdale, Psychic, Gargoyles, Crystal Skulls, Champ, Mutation, Miracles, Virgin Mary, Prehistoric, Historical, Being, Men In Black, Visitors, Mailing List, Mounds, Astronauts, Beam, Reptilian, Dolce, Specters, Bell Witch, Warlock, Shadowman, Palm Beach, Tallahassee, Holly Hill, Miami, Winter Park, Global Warming, Contrails, Chemtrails, Flagler, Homestead, Emerald Coast, Fort Myers, Fort Walton Beach, Naples, Punta Gorda, Birmingham, Decatur, Dothan, Montgomery, Tuscaloosa, Columbus, Charleston, Myrtle Beach, Sumter, Athens, Raleigh Durham, Alexandria, Lafayette, Lake Charles, Monroe, Shreveport, Bossier City, Greenville, Onslow, Piedmont Triad, Hampton Roads, Huntington - Ashland Area, Huntsville Area, Idaho Falls - Pocatello Area, Indianapolis, Iowa City, Jackson, MI, Jackson, MS, Jackson, TN, Jacksonville, Jefferson County, Johnstown - Altoona, Johnstown, Jonesboro, Joplin, Joplin - Pittsburg, Juneau, Kansas City, Knoxville, La Crosse, Lafayette Area, Lafayette, IN, Lafayette, LA, Lake Charles, Lansing - East Lansing, Lansing Metro, Laredo, Las Cruces, Las Vegas, Lawton, Lehigh Valley, Lewiston - Auburn, Lexington, Lima, Lincoln, Little Rock, Little Rock - Pine Bluff Area, Long Island, Longview, Los Angeles, Louisville, Lubbock, Lynchburg Area, Madison, Madison Metro, Mankato Area, Marquette, Memphis, Merced, Meridian, Michiana, Milwaukee, Missoula, Mobile, Mobile Pensacola Area, Monroe, Monterey Bay Area, Montgomery, Myrtle Beach Area, Naples, Nashville, National, New Orleans, New York, North Central Ohio, Northeastern Pennsylvania, Northeastern South Carolina, Northern Alabama, North Jersey, North Platte Area, Northwest Alabama, Northwest Arkansas Area, Northwest Arkansas, Oklahoma City, Omaha, Onslow County, Opelika Auburn, Orange County, Orlando, Ottumwa - Kirksville, Owensboro, Palm Springs Area, Pensacola, Peoria - Pekin, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Piedmont Triad, Pine Bluff, Pittsburgh, Portland, OR, Portland, Portsmouth Rochester, Presque Isle Area, Providence, Pueblo, Punta Gorda, Quad Cities, Quincy - Hannibal - Keokuk, Raleigh Durham, Rapid City, Redding - Chico, Redding, Red River Valley, Reno, Richland - Kennewick Area, Richmond, Rio Grande Valley Area, Roanoke, Rochester, MN, Rochester, NY, Rock County, Rockford, Sacramento, Saginaw - Bay City - Midland, Salt Lake City, San Angelo, San Antonio, San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose, Santa Barbara, Savannah Area, Scranton Wilkes Barre, Seattle, Sharon, Shenandoah Valley, Sherman - Denison, Shreveport - Bossier City, Shreveport, LA Area, Sioux City, Sioux Falls, South Bend, Southeastern North Carolina, Southern Colorado, Southern Maine, Southern Oregon, Southern Washington Area, Southern West Virginia, South Florida, Southwestern Indiana, Southwest Florida, Southwest Georgia, Spokane, Springfield Area, Springfield - Decatur - Danville, Springfield, MO, Springfield, State College, Steubenville - Weirton, St. Joseph, St. Louis, Sumter, Syracuse, Tallahassee Area, Tampa Bay, Terre Haute, Texarkana, Toledo - Findlay Metro, Toledo, Topeka Area, Tri - Cities, Tri - State Area: KY - IL - MO, Tucson - Sierra Vista, Tulare County, Tulsa, Tuscaloosa, Twin Cities, Twin Falls Area, Tyler Area, Tyler, Utica - Rome, Victoria, Waco, Washington, DC, Waterloo Cedar Falls, Watertown Area, Wausau - Rhinelander Area, West Central Ohio, West Central Wisconsin, Western Carolina - NW Georgia, Western North Carolina, West Palm Beach, West Texas, Wheeling - Steubenville Metro, Wheeling, Wichita Falls & Lawton, Wichita Falls, Wichita & Western Kansas, Williamsport, Yakima, Youngstown - Warren, Yuma, Zanesville, Altamonte Springs, Crescent City, Eustis, Hollywood, Leesburg, Jupiter, Neptune Beach, New Port Richey, Lake Wales, Lake Mary, Titusville, St Cloud, Santa Rosa, Palmetto, Vero Beach, St. Petersburg, Baton Rouge, Meridian, Jackson, Hattiesburg, Biloxi, Pascagoula, Gulfport, Seminole, Bordin Booger, Panama City, Goblyn, Ghouls, Loch Ness, Nessie, Bessie, Selkies, Mermaids, Sirens, Kraken, Dragons, Plesiosaur, Loveland Frog, Sprites, Seljord serpent, Exmoor Beast, Big Cats, Lake Normon, Lake Bala, Cressie, Alkali, Illiamna Lake Monster, Cressie, Nyami Nyami, Masbate, Ponik, Chessie, Selma, Tacoma Sea Serpent, Storsie, Cadborsaurus, Lake Utopia, Gloucester, Lake Tianchi Monster, Tessie, Mokele-Mbembe, Mongolian Death Worm, Impakta,Orang-Pendek,Owlman, Easter Island, Olifiau Monster of Flatwoods, Big Bird, Tatzelwurm, GOATMAN OF MARYLAND , BEAST OF BODMIN MOOR, Kaptar, Biabin-guli, Grendel, Ferla Mohir, Brenin Ilwyd, Ngoloko, Kikomba, Gin-sung, Yeti, Mirygdy ,Mecheny, Chinese Wildman, Nguoi Rung, SPRING HEELED JACK, Pressie, Hardin, White River, Parapsychology, Elves, Bennington Triangle, Marfa Lights, OBE, Astral, Enigma, Urban Exploration, Tunnels, Caves, Gaia, earth, healing, new age, runes, goddess, covens, Asatru, Asatruar, Druid, Druidism, Druidry, Druids, Odian, Odianism, Odians, Odin, Odinism, Odinist, Odinists, Santeria, Santerian, Santerians, Setian, Setianism, Setians, Strega, Stregheria, Wicca, Wiccans, Witch, Witchcraft, Witches, Pagan, Paganism, Neo-Pagan, Neo-Paganism,Neo-Pagans, poetry, cats, faerie, fairy, faeries, elements, occult, metaphysics, reiki, alchemy, shaman, Shaman, Shamanism, Celtic, Native American, Norse, tarot, divination, circle, fellowship, Samhain, Yule, Imbolic, Ostara, Beltane, Midsummer, Lughnassah, Mabon, crystals, nature, moon, mythology, sabbat, chants, dragons, tantra, singles, dating, willow, fire, Isis, gothic, renaissance, numerology, astrology, Rite, Rites, altar, Mysticism, brews, Deity, Talisman, Voodoo, charms, Bos, Diana, Hecate, Astarte, Kali, Fey, Pan, Loki, Totems, Spirit Guide, psychic, Angels, white, Sacred, Green, Aura, Elementals, mage, magic, Solstice, Equinox, Palm Reading, Charms, Deity, Invocations, Thermal Detector, Radiological, Ion, Video Cameras, Micro cassette Player, Centaurs, Cerebral Anoxia, Clairoleofactor, Clairvoyance, Cosmology, Cryptomnesia, Abductee, Aigypan, Alchemy, Animism, Automatic Writing, ESP, Daemon, Deja Vu, Dematerialization, Demonology, Discarnate Spirits, Disembodied, Doppelganger, Dowsing, EEG or Electro-encephalography, Empathy, Gaus, Banshee, Basilisk, Body Snatcher, Bunyip, CA, Sacramento, San Francisco, Oakland, Chico, Lake Tahoe, Jackson, California, Research, Myspace, Bands, Music, Electronics, Suvival Gear, Protection, Adult, Amazson, EBAY, MYSPACE, Gothic, Rock, New Age, Alternative, Punk, Amibent, Electronic, England, France, Paris, Australia, Trains, Mine, Radio, AngelOfThyNight, Dark, Cursed, Sin City, Canyon, Desert, Mojave, Adsense, Google, Best Buy, Flashlight, EMF, Energy, Cult, Church, Nightfall Radio, Tagged, Yahoo, Messenger, Prophet, God, Godlike, Dark Matter, Lake Tahoe, Sierra Nevada's, Carson City, Minden, Gardnerville, Markleeville, Woodfords, Indian, Valley, Carson Valley, Indian Hills, Sparks, Reno, Fernley, Dayton, Truckee, Fredericksberg, Ranchos, Genoa, Kingsbury,Fallon, Washoe, Pleasant Valley,Silver Springs, Silver City, Gold Hill, Virginia City, Moundhouse, Empire, Dresslerville, Smith Valley, Yerington, Wellington, Sacramento,Stockton, Sonora, Angels Camp, Placerville, Folsom Lake, Topaz Lake,Forest Hill, Alpine, Douglas County, Philips, Nebelhorn, Wadsworth, Patrick, Meyers, Columbia, Jamestown, Churchhill, Lyon County, El Dorado County, Amador County,Placer County and Storey County