Colonel Allen Allensworth SHP

Heading north past Bakersfield, I decided to stop at this state historic park which is a restoration of the town of Allensworth, the only California town to be founded, financed and governed by African Americans. The small farming community was founded in 1908 by Colonel Allen Allensworth and a group of others who envisioned a town where blacks could start a new life together and become self-sufficient. Unfortunately, a re-routing of the railroad and a drop in the area’s water table, eventually resulted in the town’s demise.

~~~ Mary Dickenson Memorial Library ~~~

I took a leisurely tour of the town's restored buildings and enjoyed watching the informative 20 minute video at the visitor center. Initially, I had planned to spend the night at the campground since there are many burrowing owls living at the park and I had hoped to get some pictures. However there must have been a recent hatch of pesty flies and I found them too annoying, so I moved on.

The most important building, historically and in the memory of Allensworth pioneers, is the schoolhouse.