On trips heading south, we’ve been challenged finding places to camp in the southern San Joaquin Valley. On this trip, iOverlander, one of our favorite apps for finding camping locations, pointed us to Colonel Allensworth State Historic Park as a potential camping spot. What a lovely location.
The town was founded, financed, and governed by African Americans. Allen Allensworth was born into slavery in Louisville, Kentucky on April 7, 1842. After serving in the Union Army, he went on to gain an education. In 1909, the colony of Allensworth began to come to life. 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 settled in California, came to populate the town.
We arrived on Friday evening February 9 and found we had the campground all to ourselves.
In the morning though, we woke to discover that hundreds of people were showing up for a Black History Month Celebration. In fact, we were asked to break camp so that visitors could use the campground for parking. We moved our rig and took the opportunity to tour the collection of restored and reconstructed buildings.
The buildings include a schoolhouse, a Baptist church, businesses, homes, a hotel, a library, and various other structures that symbolize the rebirth of Colonel Allen Allensworth’s dream of an independent, democratic town where African Americans could live in control of their own destiny.
We took advantage of the Cell Phone Audio Tour, a self-guided audio tour with stop at a number of locations that provide a brief history of Allensworth. It was a bit of a novel experience, being in this isolated location and being able to use such technology to gain insight into the history of Allensworth. More photos are available in an online gallery.
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