Colonel Allensworth State Historic Park

Colonel Allensworth SHP is a little known California State Park, off the beaten track in the San Joaquin Valley.  The town was founded in 1908 and named for one of its founders, Col Allen Allensworth, a former slave who gained an education after the civil war and rose to be a chaplain in the US Army, the first African American to obtain the rank of Colonel.

Today the town is a state park consisting of restored and rebuilt buildings.  I could tell you the story but you will get a much better sense of the town and Col Allensworth if you listen to the park's Podcast.

Throughout the park, plaques explain the history of each of the buildings.  You will find it easier to read the story of these buildings if you enlarge the images.

Although we were unable to get a tour, a kind park employee opened one of the buildings allowing us a closer look inside.

The founders of Allensworth had hoped to found a town where they could live, work and educate their children, free of the discrimination that they felt in other parts of the country.  The early death of Col Allensworth, the loss of water rights and other setbacks kept the town from being the prosperous community they had hoped for.

The town continued with a few residents until the 1960s when arsenic was found in the water.  In 1974 the state bought the property and established the park.
To learn more about the park and some of the special events, visit the park's website and download the brochure.

See other interesting views of our world at Our World, Tuesday; hosted for us by Arija, Gattina, Lady Fi, Sandy and Sylvia.