THE ALLENSWORTH REVITALIZATION PROJECT

FEATURED

“This is the Home I had in mind for you when I founded Allensworth,” promotional handbill, ca. 1912. [Miriam Matthews Photograph collection, MS 19, African American Museum & Library at Oakland, Oakland Public Library]

The Allensworth Revitalization Project is bringing new life to Colonel Allensworth State Historic Park by creating a permanent visitor center, expanding community engagement, and interpreting the history of the town throughout the entire park.

WE ARE REALIZING THE ALLENSWORTH DREAM BY

Building a new permanent visitor center and day use/special event area

Exhibits have been updated since this 1977 photograph, but the “Temporary Visitor Center” has been temporary for nearly fifty years. [California State Parks, 090-2115; Photo: Gene Russell]

Improving access to and across the park

Golf carts come to the rescue, improving access during the park’s special events, such as the 1999 Baptist Church groundbreaking. [California State Parks, 090-S27557; Photo: Robert A. Young]

Reconnecting Allensworth descendants and visitors to the park through creative and meaningful community engagement activities

Former Allensworth residents Alice Royal and Gemelia Hall Herring (center), Josephine Triplett, Mrs. Herring’s daughter (left), and Jean Livingston (right). [California State Parks, 090-S26791; Photo: Robert A. Young]

Reimagining interpretation throughout the park

Reinterpreting the entire park will include improvements to physical and digital media. [California State Parks, 090-P57579; Photo: John Palmer]

Prioritizing the hiring of culturally competent park staff and docents with a strong interest in and knowledge of Allensworth and African American history.

Shera McDonald was the park’s first and, so far, only African American female ranger in fifty years. [California State Parks, 090-S26759; Photo: Robert A. Young]

Use the arrows below to explore the timeline.

Use the arrows below to explore the timeline.

The town’s five founders signed these Articles of Incorporation for the California Colony and Home Promoting Association. [Secretary of State Records, Corporations, 54355, California State Archives, Office of the Secretary of State, Sacramento]

The town’s five founders signed these Articles of Incorporation for the California Colony and Home Promoting Association. [Secretary of State Records, Corporations, 54355, California State Archives, Office of the Secretary of State, Sacramento]

Original street names still present today recognize important historical figures such as Sojourner Truth, Frederick Douglass, Harriet Beecher Stowe, and Paul Laurence Dunbar. [Colonel Allensworth State Historic Park Collection, California State Parks

Original street names still present today recognize important historical figures such as Sojourner Truth, Frederick Douglass, Harriet Beecher Stowe, and Paul Laurence Dunbar. [Colonel Allensworth State Historic Park Collection, California State Parks Archives]

The Allensworth Hotel provided lodging for seventy-five cents a night to travelers and to new families waiting for their homes to be built

The Allensworth Hotel provided lodging for seventy-five cents a night to travelers and to new families waiting for their homes to be built

Books from the Tulare County Library arrived by train and were then delivered by horse-drawn vehicles to the Allensworth Library. [Annie R. Mitchell History Room, Tulare County Library, Visalia, California]

Books from the Tulare County Library arrived by train and were then delivered by horse-drawn vehicles to the Allensworth Library. [Annie R. Mitchell History Room, Tulare County Library, Visalia, California]

The residence of Colonel Allensworth and his wife, Josephine, seen above, was an early prefabricated “kit house” likely ordered from a Sears catalog. [Annie R. Mitchell History Room, Tulare County Library, Visalia, California]

The residence of Colonel Allensworth and his wife, Josephine, seen above, was an early prefabricated “kit house” likely ordered from a Sears catalog. [Annie R. Mitchell History Room, Tulare County Library, Visalia, California]

George Johnson, a carpenter and Allensworth resident, poses for the camera between the railroad tracks and the growing town. [Royal E. Towns Papers, MS 26, African American Museum & Library at Oakland, Oakland Public Library]

George Johnson, a carpenter and Allensworth resident, poses for the camera between the railroad tracks and the growing town. [Royal E. Towns Papers, MS 26, African American Museum & Library at Oakland, Oakland Public Library]

Irene Phillips, daughter of Sgt. James and Birdie Phillips, playing with dogs in the field in front of Colonel Allensworth’s home. [California State Parks, 090-2132]

Irene Phillips, daughter of Sgt. James and Birdie Phillips, playing with dogs in the field in front of Colonel Allensworth’s home. [California State Parks, 090-2132]

Henry Cowes (right) and his wife, Josephine, operated the Allensworth post office then expanded to include this grocery store. [California State Parks, 090-2135]

Henry Cowes (right) and his wife, Josephine, operated the Allensworth post office then expanded to include this grocery store. [California State Parks, 090-2135]

Handwritten letter from Henrietta Singleton concerning an overdue account for purchases made at her store in Allensworth. [Annie R. Mitchell History Room, Tulare County Library, Visalia, California]

Handwritten letter from Henrietta Singleton concerning an overdue account for purchases made at her store in Allensworth. [Annie R. Mitchell History Room, Tulare County Library, Visalia, California]

The Allensworth School served the community for sixty years from 1912 to 1972, when a new school was built just south of the historic town. [California State Parks, 090-P85772; Photo: Brian Baer]

The Allensworth School served the community for sixty years from 1912 to 1972, when a new school was built just south of the historic town. [California State Parks, 090-P85772; Photo: Brian Baer]

Excerpt from the California Department of Parks and Recreation 'News & Views', April 1970, describing the establishment of the Allensworth Advisory Committee. [California State Parks, Southern Service Center]

Excerpt from the California Department of Parks and Recreation 'News & Views', April 1970, describing the establishment of the Allensworth Advisory Committee. [California State Parks, Southern Service Center]

Local citizens and the Allensworth Advisory Committee entered the prize-winning “Spirit of Allensworth” float in Tulare’s annual Dairy Fiesta Parade. California Department of Parks and Recreation, 'News & Views', March 1971. [Fresno Bee]

Local citizens and the Allensworth Advisory Committee entered the prize-winning “Spirit of Allensworth” float in Tulare’s annual Dairy Fiesta Parade. California Department of Parks and Recreation, 'News & Views', March 1971. [Fresno Bee]

Letter from Al Green, Allensworth Advisory Committee member, to State Senator Howard Way. [Senator Howard Way Papers, LP174:176, California State Archives, Office of the Secretary of State, Sacramento]

Letter from Al Green, Allensworth Advisory Committee member, to State Senator Howard Way. [Senator Howard Way Papers, LP174:176, California State Archives, Office of the Secretary of State, Sacramento]

Colonel Allensworth State Historic Park was officially named and classified by the Park and Recreation Commission at its January meeting. [California State Parks, 090-S120; Photo: Gene Russell]

Colonel Allensworth State Historic Park was officially named and classified by the Park and Recreation Commission at its January meeting. [California State Parks, 090-S120; Photo: Gene Russell]

Al Green’s leadership included urging attendance at this meeting to approve the park’s general plan, which passed eight to one. [Miriam Matthews Photograph Collection, LSC.1889, UCLA Library Special Collections]

Al Green’s leadership included urging attendance at this meeting to approve the park’s general plan, which passed eight to one. [Miriam Matthews Photograph Collection, LSC.1889, UCLA Library Special Collections]

Excerpt from the California Department of Parks and Recreation News & Views, November 1976, describing the October 9 dedication event for Colonel Allensworth State Historic Park. [Department of Parks and Recreation Records, Press Files (R191.43), Cal

Excerpt from the California Department of Parks and Recreation News & Views, November 1976, describing the October 9 dedication event for Colonel Allensworth State Historic Park. [Department of Parks and Recreation Records, Press Files (R191.43), California State Archives, Office of the Secretary of State, Sacramento]

Buffalo Soldiers 10th Cavalry Company G of Northern California on horseback for Allensworth’s Centennial Event, October 11, 2008. From Colonel Allensworth’s original dream to the park’s current Revitalization Project and beyond, the spirit of Allensw

Buffalo Soldiers 10th Cavalry Company G of Northern California on horseback for Allensworth’s Centennial Event, October 11, 2008. From Colonel Allensworth’s original dream to the park’s current Revitalization Project and beyond, the spirit of Allensworth continues. [California State Parks, 090-P60030; Photo: John Palmer]

Allen Allensworth, a Baptist minister, educator, and Army Lieutenant Colonel, spent his retirement years developing and promoting the town of Allensworth. [Miriam Matthews Photograph Collection (LSC.1889), UCLA Library Special Collections]

ALLENSWORTH: THE DREAM OF A BLACK TOWN

Allen Allensworth, a Baptist minister, educator, and Army Lieutenant Colonel, spent his retirement years developing and promoting the town of Allensworth. [Miriam Matthews Photograph Collection, LSC.1889, UCLA Library Special Collections]

Colonel Allen Allensworth was one of the first and highest ranking African American Army Chaplains. Born into slavery, Colonel Allensworth was an educator and minister who boldly dreamed of a California safe haven where African Americans could realize full citizenship and independently live, work, and flourish without the constraints of white hostility, discrimination, and racism. Allensworth’s dream aligned with a broader movement of African Americans establishing independent, self-governing Black settlements in places such as Boley, Oklahoma, Mound Bayou, Mississippi, and Nicodemus, Kansas. On June 30, 1908, Colonel Allensworth's dream manifested as he and four other African American community leaders (John W. Palmer, William A. Payne, Rev. William H. Peck, and Harry M. Mitchell) incorporated the California Colony and Home Promoting Association for the purpose of establishing the town of Allensworth. By 1914, Allensworth was home to nearly 250 residents, a voting district, and a robust assortment of community institutions that included a library, school, barbershop, and a variety of stores.

A COMMUNITY CAMPAIGN TO PRESERVE ALLENSWORTH

Colonel Allensworth State Historic Park is the product of a spirited community campaign sparked in the wake of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. In 1968, Black community leaders throughout the state charged the California Department of Parks and Recreation with being deficient in historical preservation and interpretive programs giving attention to the pivotal role played by Black citizens in the development of California. In 1969, Cornelius Ed Pope, an African American landscape architect for California State Parks and former Allensworth resident, proposed the township as a potential State Park site for its legacy and protection from agricultural development at the time.

Allensworth Advisory Committee, 1976: (Front Row, L-R) Hattie Crawford, Dr. Edward E. France, Cecil Berkley, Gaynelle Green, Al Green, Vassie Wright, Frances R. Miller, Elena Albert, Royal E. Towns, and Kay Green; (Second Row) Jefferson Pierro, Bettye Williams, and Eugene P. Lasartemay; (Third Row) Marcella Ford, Lois Carson, George Pope, Gemelia Herring, and Mrs. Willie Pope. [Royal E. Towns Papers, MS 26, African American Museum & Library at Oakland, Oakland Public Library]

On October 9, 1976, Colonel Allensworth State Historic Park officially opened to the public with more than a thousand visitors in attendance. In the years that followed, the park restored, rebuilt, and furnished more than two dozen historical buildings, including Colonel Allensworth’s residence, the schoolhouse, and the town church. Yet, fifty years later, the temporary visitor center remains the only building with no additional construction work completed. The Allensworth Revitalization Project is a restorative effort to address the neglect of the park and to ensure that the legacy of Allensworth is more fully and meaningfully preserved for generations to come.

Entertainment at the park dedication included a lively performance by the Dudes and Dames Square Dance Group. [California State Parks, 090-15457]

The Allensworth Advisory Committee was instrumental in the making of Colonel Allensworth State Historic Park. Established in 1970, the committee consisted of twenty-five African American history-minded leaders that were called upon to steer the Allensworth Historical Project and promote cooperation among citizens and agencies involved in the development of Allensworth. While there was no question that Allensworth possessed a rich history, opponents, such as State Senator Howard Way, argued that the first park dedicated to the African American experience in California would be more appropriate in an urban city with a larger concentration of Black residents. Ultimately, the recommendations of the Advisory Committee, the galvanized support of African American community leaders and organizations throughout the state, and the favorable Allensworth Feasibility Study demonstrated that Allensworth was a site worthy of State Park status.

ALLENSWORTH REVITALIZATION PROJECT TEAM

Susan D. Anderson

History Curator and Program Manager, CAAM, Principal Investigator, AAH&E

Ashley Adams, PhD

AAH&E Scholar,
Associate Professor, Mills College
at Northeastern University

Stephen Hill

Community Engagement Consultant

Nancy Mendez

Regional Interpretive Specialist,
Southern Service Center

Lauren C. O'Brien, PhD

Assistant Curator, AAH&E

Lori Wear

District Interpretive Program Manager,
Great Basin District

DESCENDANTS OF ALLENSWORTH ◆

DESCENDANTS OF ALLENSWORTH ◆

Please contact us if you are a descendant of a past resident of Allensworth and want to participate in this project in meaningful ways.