Colonel Allensworth State Historic Park - California
Colonel Allensworth State Historic Park preserves Allensworth, the only California town to be founded, financed and governed by African Americans. The small farming community was founded in 1908 by Lt. Colonel Allen Allensworth, Professor William Payne, William Peck, a minister; John W. Palmer, a miner; and Harry A. Mitchell, a real estate agent, dedicated to improving the economic and social status of African Americans. Colonel Allensworth (1842–1914) had a friendship with Booker T. Washington and was inspired by the Tuskegee Institute and development in its neighboring town. Allensworth hoped to develop the "Tuskegee of the West". Uncontrollable circumstances, including a drop in the area's water table, resulted in the town's demise. Allensworth is now an unincorporated area in Tulare County. Colonel Allensworth State Historic Park is also an Amtrak conditional-flag-stop train station on the San Joaquin trains.
brochures Colonel Allensworth - Brochure Brochure of Colonel Allensworth State Historic Park (SHP) in California. Published by California Department of Parks and Recreation.
https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=583
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colonel_Allensworth_State_Historic_Park
Colonel Allensworth State Historic Park preserves Allensworth, the only California town to be founded, financed and governed by African Americans. The small farming community was founded in 1908 by Lt. Colonel Allen Allensworth, Professor William Payne, William Peck, a minister; John W. Palmer, a miner; and Harry A. Mitchell, a real estate agent, dedicated to improving the economic and social status of African Americans. Colonel Allensworth (1842–1914) had a friendship with Booker T. Washington and was inspired by the Tuskegee Institute and development in its neighboring town. Allensworth hoped to develop the "Tuskegee of the West". Uncontrollable circumstances, including a drop in the area's water table, resulted in the town's demise. Allensworth is now an unincorporated area in Tulare County. Colonel Allensworth State Historic Park is also an Amtrak conditional-flag-stop train station on the San Joaquin trains.
Colonel
Allensworth
State Historic Park
Our Mission
The mission of California State Parks is
to provide for the health, inspiration and
education of the people of California by helping
to preserve the state’s extraordinary biological
diversity, protecting its most valued natural and
cultural resources, and creating opportunities
for high-quality outdoor recreation.
In 1908 a group of
African Americans
led by Colonel Allen
Allensworth founded a
town that would combine
California State Parks supports equal access.
Prior to arrival, visitors with disabilities who
need assistance should contact the park at
(661) 849-3433. If you need this publication in an
alternate format, contact interp@parks.ca.gov.
CALIFORNIA STATE PARKS
P.O. Box 942896
Sacramento, CA 94296-0001
For information call: (800) 777-0369
(916) 653-6995, outside the U.S.
711, TTY relay service
www.parks.ca.gov
Colonel Allensworth
State Historic Park
4011 Grant Drive
Earlimart, CA 93219
(661) 849-3433
© 2007 California State Parks (Rev. 2017)
pride of ownership,
equality of opportunity,
and high ideals.
I
n the southern San Joaquin Valley,
a modest but growing assemblage of
restored and reconstructed buildings marks
the location of Colonel Allensworth State
Historic Park. A schoolhouse, a Baptist church,
businesses, homes, a hotel, a library, and
various other structures symbolize the rebirth
of one man’s dream of an independent,
democratic town where African Americans
could live in control of their own destiny.
On the horizon stretch level farmlands,
county roads, and the seemingly endless
tracks of the Santa Fe rail line. In this part
of the valley, summer temperatures can
reach 100 degrees or more, but winters are
generally mild.
Allen Allensworth — A Visionary
Colonel Allen Allensworth — Army chaplain,
educator, orator, and town co-founder — was
born into slavery in Louisville, Kentucky,
on April 7, 1842. Intelligent and eager for
knowledge, he was encouraged by his mother
to learn to read and write by playing school
with the master’s son. At 12 he was sent
away for violating the law that prohibited the
education of slaves. In
1862 he fled slavery to join
the Union Navy and was
honorably discharged as a
chief petty officer.
After the Civil War, the
Colonel achieved the
formal education he
had been denied.
In 1877 he married
Josephine Leavell,
Colonel Allen Allensworth,
a schoolteacher,
ca. 1895 - 1904
music teacher, and
gifted musician,
and they raised two
daughters. In 1886,
with a doctorate of
theology, Allensworth
became chaplain to
the 24th Infantry, one
of the Army’s four
African American
regiments. He retired
First Baptist Church
as a lieutenant
(restored)
colonel in 1906 — the
first African American to attain such high rank.
The Town of Allensworth
Retirement found the Colonel lecturing
throughout the eastern and midwestern states,
promoting Booker T. Washington’s philosophy
of African American self-reliance. They both
firmly believed that, through education and
hard work, African Americans could rise above
the effects of slavery, attain greater social
stature, and more fully realize their potential
as a people.
The Allensworths settled in Los Angeles,
and in 1906 the Colonel met Professor William
Payne, an educator whose family had recently
moved to Pasadena. With a mutual desire to
live in an environment where African Americans
could live free from discrimination, they merged
their values with those of other pioneers of
like mind to establish an independent, selfsufficient colony. They formed the California
Colony and Home Promotion Association
in 1908 and purchased 800 acres along the
Santa Fe rail line from the Pacific Farming
Company, at a rail stop called Solita. In 1909
the colony of Allensworth
began to rise from the flat
countryside — California’s
first town founded, financed,
and governed by
African Americans.
The name and reputation
of Colonel Allensworth
inspired African Americans
who were looking for a
better life. People from all
over the country, including
many who were already
settled in California, came
to populate the town. In
some cases, people who never lived in the
town purchased property sight-unseen to help
the cause. The town of Allensworth enjoyed
great success and was the focus of considerable
interest. On July 29, 1909, the Tulare County
Times ran an article headlined, “Negro Colony at
Solita Prosperous.” Other newspapers described
Allensworth with such headlines as, “Allensworth
Folks Great Readers” (Visalia Delta) and “An
Ideal Negro Settlement” (Los Angeles Times).
By 1910 residents had built a small school.
Two years later, Allensworth became California’s
first African American school district, and in
1914 the town became a judicial district. When
rapid growth
necessitated the
construction of
a larger school,
Mrs. Allensworth
turned the old
school building
into the Mary
Allensworth school children,
Dickinson
ca. 1911
Allensworth Elementary
School (restored)
Memorial Library in
honor of her moth
Parque Estatal Histórico
Colonel
Allensworth
Nuestra Misión
La misión de California State Parks es proporcionar
apoyo para la salud, la inspiración y la educación
de los ciudadanos de California al ayudar a
preservar la extraordinaria diversidad biológica
del estado, proteger sus más valiosos recursos
naturales y culturales, y crear oportunidades para
la recreación al aire libre de alta calidad.
En 1908 un grupo de
afroamericanos
dirigidos por el coronel
Allen Allensworth
fundaron una ciudad que
California State Parks apoya la igualdad de
acceso. Antes de llegar, los visitantes con
discapacidades que necesiten asistencia
deben comunicarse con el parque llamando
al (661) 849-3433. Si necesita esta publicación
en un formato alternativo, comuníquese con
interp@parks.ca.gov.
CALIFORNIA STATE PARKS
P.O. Box 942896
Sacramento, CA 94296-0001
Para obtener más información, llame al:
(800) 777-0369 o (916) 653-6995, fuera de los
EE. UU. o 711, servicio de teléfono de texto.
www.parks.ca.gov
Colonel Allensworth
State Historic Park
4011 Grant Drive
Earlimart, CA 93219
(661) 849-3433
© 2007 California State Parks (Rev. 2017)
combinaría el orgullo de
propiedad, la igualdad
de oportunidades y los
ideales nobles.
E
n el Valle de San Joaquín del sur,
un conjunto modesto pero creciente de
edificios restaurados y reconstruidos marca
la ubicación del Parque Histórico Estatal
Coronel Allensworth. Una escuela, una
iglesia bautista, negocios, viviendas, un
hotel, una biblioteca y otras diferentes
estructuras simbolizan el renacimiento
del sueño de un hombre sobre un pueblo
independiente y democrático donde los
afroamericanos pudieran vivir en control de
su propio destino.
En el horizonte se extienden las tierras
agrícolas, las carreteras del condado y las
vías aparentemente interminables de la línea
ferroviaria de Santa Fe. En esta parte del
valle, las temperaturas del verano pueden
alcanzar 100 grados o más, pero los inviernos
son generalmente suaves.
Allen Allensworth —
UN VISIONARIO
El coronel Allen Allensworth,
capellán del ejército, educador,
orador y cofundador de la ciudad,
nació en la esclavitud en Louisville,
Kentucky, el 7 de abril de
1842. Inteligente y ávido de
conocimiento, su madre
le animó a aprender a
leer y escribir jugando
a la escuela con el hijo
del patrón. A los 12
años fue expulsado
por violar la ley que
prohibía la educación
a los esclavos. En 1862
huyó de la esclavitud para
unirse a la Marina de la Unión y
le dieron de baja con honores
como suboficial de marina.
Después de la Guerra Civil,
el coronel logró la educación
formal que le habían negado.
En 1877 se casó con Josephine
Leavell, maestra de escuela,
maestra de música y talentosa
músico, con quien crio dos hijas.
En 1886, con un doctorado en
Teología, Allensworth se convirtió
en capellán de la 24ª Infantería,
uno de los cuatro regimientos
afroamericanos del Ejército. Se
retiró como teniente coronel
en 1906, con lo que se convirtió
en el primer afroamericano en
alcanzar un rango tan alto.
lA CIUDAD DE ALLENSWORTH
Durante su retiro, el coronel dictaba
conferencias en los estados del este y
del medio oeste, en los que promovía la
filosofía de Booker T. Washington sobre la
autosuficiencia afroamericana. Ambos
creían firmemente que, a través
de la educación y el trabajo
duro, los afroamericanos
podían elevarse por encima
de los efectos de la esclavitud,
alcanzar un mayor prestigio
social y desarrollar más
plenamente su potencial
como pueblo.
Colonel Allen Allensworth,
ca. 1895 - 1904
Primera Iglesia Bautista
(restaurada)
Los Allensworth se establecieron en Los
Angeles y en 1906 el coronel conoció al profesor
William Payne, un educador cuya familia se
había trasladado recientemente a Pasadena.
Con un deseo mutuo de vivir en un ambiente
donde los afroamericanos pudieran vivir libres
de discriminación, fusionaron sus valores
con los de otros pioneros con ideas afines
para establecer una colonia independiente
y autosuficiente. Ellos formaron la Colonia
California (California Colony) y la Asociación
de Promoción de Hogar (Home Promotion
Association) en 1908 y compraron 800 acres a
lo largo de la línea ferroviaria de Santa Fe de la
Compañía Agrícola del Pacífico (Pacific Farming
Company), en una parada de ferrocarril llamada
Solita. En 1909 la colonia de Allensworth
comenzó a levantarse del paisaje llano,
convirtiéndose en la primera ciudad de
California fundada, financiada y gobernada
por afroamericanos.
El nombre y la reputación del coronel
Allensworth inspiraron a los afroamericanos
que buscaban una vida mejor. Personas
de todo el país, incluidos muchos que
ya estaban establecidos en California,
vinieron a poblar la ciudad. En algunos
casos, personas que nunca vivieron en la
ciudad compraron propiedades, sin verlas
antes, para ayudar a la causa. La ciudad
de Allensworth gozó de gran éxito y fue el
centro de un interés considerable. El 29
de julio de 1909, el Tulare County Times
publicó un artículo titulado “Colonia negra
en Solita es próspera”.