Landscape Information
Strategically located along a railroad in the San Joaquin Valley, and immediately west of the Central Valley Highway, this 240-acre, relatively level park incorporates a former townsite established in 1908 by African Americans to escape racial discrimination. Named after one of its founders, Allen Allensworth (a retired lieutenant colonel and chaplain born into enslavement), by 1914 the agrarian settlement, which grew to 300 families of free blacks, and included a library, post office, and school district. Following Allensworth’s death in 1914, drought, poor crop yields, and a failing water supply led to the settlement’s decline. In the 1960s interest burgeoned, with members of the public, including former residents, advocating for its protection; and in 1974 the state acquired a portion of the town. The park opened two years later.
Today, the state park retains several historic streets, which are absent of curbs or sidewalks, and are oriented on a north-south and east-west grid. The streets form square blocks characterized by grass and low vegetation, affording expansive views, and are intermittently edged by buildings and building sites. Among the 21 reconstructed and rehabilitated buildings are the Allensworth Hotel (1910), Hindsman General Store (1911), Allensworth Schoolhouse (1913), and Allen Allensworth’s prefabricated residence (1911) purchased by his wife, Josephine. Several lots are embellished with trees, including honey locust and Western sycamore, which provide shade and serve as windbreaks. A single pomegranate tree planted along the western façade of the Allensworth cash store (1910) recalls the community’s agrarian history. Throughout, signage and commemorative markers, including a plaque installed at the park’s entrance, interprets the site’s history as the only town in the state to be founded, financed and governed by African Americans.
The Allensworth Historic District was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1972 and designated a California State Landmark in 1974
