St. Columncille's Church in North Bloomfield
North Bloomfield Church

A church building with a history nestled in green setting (June 2019)

From the Visitor Center & Museum in the town of North Bloomfield walk south on Main Street past the General Store and turn right onto Church Trail to get to the cemetery, schoolhouse and church building. It once stood near French Corral —a small town next to other gold-rush era mining camps along the San Juan Ridge including Rough & Ready and North San Juan. The building was moved and re-erected at its current site after being purchased by ridge-town Catholics. St. Columncille's Catholic Church. A plaque at the church wall with the title “St. Columncille's Church” summarizes the history (visited June 16, 2019):
St. Columncille's Catholic Church, formerly the Bridgeport Union Guard Hall, was used in 1860 to train men for the Civil War under Capt. Frank Coffey of French Corral.

In 1880 it was purchased as a house of worship for the Catholics of the Ridge Towns.

In 1969 it was purchased by Babe Pinaglia and given to the park.

It is located on the cite of the catholic church that once served the miners of North Bloomfield.
Like at the old schoolhouse, a “KEEP OUT!” post warns about possible exposure to the Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome (HPS) when going inside. The doors are locked anyway. Until restoration and successful clean-up, you have to pray outside.

Reference and map of mining camps: The California Gold Country—The Mining Camps.
Follow Me on Pinterest
Around Nevada City