The 1868 Hayward earthquake did occur on the southern segment of the Hayward Fault in the vicinity of today 's city of Hayward . This quake destroyed the county seat of Alameda County then located in San Leandro and it subsequently moved to Oakland . It was strongly felt in San Francisco , causing major damage . It was regarded as the " Great San Francisco earthquake " prior to 1906 . It produced a furrow in the ground along the fault line in Berkeley , across the grounds of the new State Asylum for the Deaf , Dumb and Blind then under construction , which was noted by one early University of California professor . Although no significant damage was reported to most of the few Berkeley buildings of the time , the 1868 quake did destroy the vulnerable adobe home of Domingo Peralta in north Berkeley
1868 Hayward earthquake
1868 Hayward earthquake
Berkeley, California