This All-Black Pioneer Town Holds 116 Years of African American History in California

Allensworth, California

Colonel Allen Allensworth had survived slavery, the Civil War, and decades of Jim Crow before he decided to build his own town.

His vision was simple but radical: a place where Black families could live free from the daily humiliations of segregated America. For a brief moment in the early 1900s, it actually worked.

Here’s the rise and slow fade of that dream.

The Man Who Escaped Slavery to Build a Town

Allen Allensworth entered the world on April 7, 1842, born into slavery in Kentucky. A Quaker neighbor taught him to read and write despite laws forbidding enslaved people from learning.

He escaped during the Civil War and found safety behind Union lines. First he worked as a civilian nurse, then served in the U.S. Navy from 1863 to 1865.

The Fifth Street Baptist Church ordained him as a minister in 1871. He joined the Army as a chaplain to Buffalo Soldier regiments, climbing the ranks over his military career.

When he retired in 1906, he held the rank of lieutenant colonel. No Black officer in the U.S. Army had reached this position before him.

Five Men Join Forces to Build a Black Utopia

Allensworth partnered with professor William Payne on June 30, 1908. They formed the California Colony and Home Promoting Association with offices in downtown Los Angeles.

Three others joined their effort: John W. Palmer, a miner; William H. Peck, a minister; and Harry Mitchell, a real estate agent. Together they purchased 20 acres from Pacific Farming Company.

They chose California to escape Jim Crow laws and violence in the South. The site offered what appeared to be fertile soil, access to water, and a railway stop.

The settlement started with the name Solito after its railway stop. Soon after, the founders changed it to honor Colonel Allensworth.

Streets Named for Heroes

Residents named streets after Black leaders and white abolitionists. Sojourner Truth, Paul Laurence Dunbar, and Harriet Beecher Stowe received this recognition.

By 1910, the town established California’s first African American school district. Education stood as a foundation of the community’s vision.

The town built a courthouse, Baptist church, hotel, and library by 1914. Josephine Allensworth converted the first schoolhouse into the Mary Dickinson Memorial Library, named for her mother.

A council called the Allensworth Progressive Association governed the town. This structure handled all civic affairs and guided development.

Businesses Spring Up Around the Railroad

The Santa Fe Railroad depot brought people, mail, and supplies to Allensworth. Trains carried out agricultural products, supporting the local economy.

Joshua and Henrietta Singleton opened a general store and post office in 1910. Clara and John Morris built an eight-room hotel charging 75 cents per night.

Business thrived, generating nearly $5,000 monthly by 1913. Farmers, craftsmen, and professionals found opportunities here.

By 1914, Allensworth grew to 900 acres worth more than $112,500. The California Eagle newspaper proudly noted that “not a single white person” had anything to do with running the colony.

Social Groups Bring Community Together

Young people joined the Campfire Girls, Owl Club, and Girls’ Glee Club. The Children’s Savings Association taught financial skills to youth.

Adults participated in the Sewing Circle, Whist Club, and Debating Society. The Theater Club staged performances for community entertainment.

Girls performed in a chorus modeled after Fisk University’s famous Jubilee Singers. This group became a source of pride for the town.

Oscar Overr won election as Justice of the Peace. This made him the first African American to hold this position in post-Mexican California.

Broken Promises Leave Town Thirsty

Water problems started soon after the town’s founding. Pacific Farming Company built only four wells for Allensworth while giving ten wells to neighboring white town Alpaugh.

White farmers diverted the nearby White River away from Black farmers’ fields. These actions cut off water needed for crops and homes.

The community formed the Allensworth Rural Water Company in 1913. They sued Pacific Farming Company but ended up with debt and insufficient water.

Drought hit the Central Valley soon after the town’s founding. Crops failed and water tables dropped, threatening the farming community’s survival.

Railroad Moves Its Stop and Cuts Off Commerce

Santa Fe Railroad officials moved the rail stop from Allensworth to Alpaugh in summer 1914. They claimed “low water levels” justified the move.

This decision crippled the town’s economy which depended on the railroad. Santa Fe also refused to hire any Allensworth residents.

White companies charged Black farmers four times more for land than white farmers. Some eventually stopped selling land to Black buyers entirely.

These actions blocked economic growth in the Black community. A promising location now faced artificial barriers to success.

A Fatal Motorcycle Crash Kills the Founder

Colonel Allensworth died on September 14, 1914, at age 72. A motorcycle hit him as he stepped off a streetcar in Monrovia on his way to preach.

D.S. White drove the motorcycle with William E. Wray riding as passenger. The impact broke Allensworth’s legs, arm, collar bone, and skull.

He never regained consciousness after the accident. No charges came against the motorcyclists despite the empty street at the time.

Allensworth received burial at Angelus-Rosedale Cemetery in Los Angeles. The town lost its founder just six years after its birth.

Leaders Leave as Water Problems Worsen

William Payne left by 1920 for a teaching job in El Centro. Josephine Allensworth moved to Los Angeles to live with her daughter Nella.

Wells continued to dry up, making farming impossible. Without water, the community’s economic foundation crumbled.

The Great Depression forced more residents to seek work elsewhere. World War II drew others to military service and factory jobs.

Tests revealed arsenic in three town wells in 1965, and officials scheduled Allensworth for demolition in 1966, nearly erasing it from the map.

Activists Save the Town’s History

California State Parks acquired the town and buildings in 1973.

The State Parks Commission approved plans for a historic park on May 14, 1976. Colonel Allensworth State Historic Park received official dedication on October 6 that year.

Cornelius Ed Pope, a state parks draftsman, started the preservation effort. As a boy, Pope had lived in the Allensworth family home.

The park preserved 240 acres of the original townsite, and workers restored buildings from 1908-1918 to their original condition.

Visiting Allensworth, California

Colonel Allensworth State Historic Park sits 45 miles north of Bakersfield off Highway 43. Enter the park at Palmer Avenue and take County Road J42 to the visitor center.

Park hours run from 9 a.m. to sunset daily. Pay $8 per vehicle for day use or $30 to camp overnight at one of 15 campsites.

Amtrak stops at the park during special events with reduced fares available. Visit parks.ca.gov for current information on Juneteenth (June 14) and Rededication Day (October 11) celebrations.

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