The company town of Nortonville was the largest of the coal towns around Mount Diablo, with a population of over 900. It was named for Noah Norton, who originally opened the Black Diamond mine and built the first two houses there. The first hotel, the Black Diamond Exchange, opened in 1863. A store, a schoolhouse, and more houses were gradually added. As was common at that time, lodges for several fraternal organizations were established, including International Organisation of Good Templars, Knights of Pythias, and Independent Order of Odd Fellows. The company provided the land for Rose Hill Cemetery, a Protestant burial site for miners and other residents of the area, which was later donated to Contra Costa County. A fire destroyed many of the wooden buildings in 1878, and they were replaced with brick buildings.