Allensworth, California has a very interesting history that has been preserved at this state park located between Fresno and Bakersfield off highway 99.

‘The towns founder, Allen Allensworth, was born a slave in Kentucky in 1842. Freed during the Civil War he became a minister and joined the Army as a military chaplain. He retired in 1906 and began following Booker T Washington’s philosophy of racial equality through industrious self-help. Colonel Allen Allensworth, along with four other black settlers established the town. It was the first in California to be "founded, financed, and governed by blacks."

Allensworth's reputation drew many from all over the country to the town, causing some to buy property sight-unseen in order to support the efforts. In the early 20th century, the area boasted a great boom and by 1910 hosted California's first African American school district.

With the death of Colonel Allensworth in 1914, the town experienced extreme losses, coupled with severe drought and decreased crop yields. Pretty well abandoned by the mid 1940’s the town was memorialized as a state park in 1974. ‘

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