{"nrhp_refnum":"72000263","name":"Allensworth Historic District","other_names":["Allensworth"],"category":"district","location":{"address":"Town of Allensworth and its environs along CA 43","address_restricted":false,"city":"Allensworth and","county":"Tulare County","state":"CA","lat":35.86240951350007,"lon":-119.38745110678063,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1972-02-23","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Agriculture","Military","Black","Education","Politics/Government","Religion","Social History"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A historic district covering the townsite of Allensworth in Tulare County, California, on State Highway 43 between Wasco and Corcoran. The town was founded on August 3, 1908 by Col. Allen Allensworth and the California Colony and Home Promotion Association, and the district covers about 150 acres.","why_significant":"The nomination argues that Allensworth is California's only town founded, financed and governed by Black Americans. It is significant for its ties to Col. Allensworth, a Black military officer born a slave, and for its role in education, politics, agriculture and Black history in the state. The school took part in the 1913-1915 defense of Black children's right to education.","narrative":"Allensworth is a small farming townsite in the southern San Joaquin Valley of Tulare County, California, founded on August 3, 1908 by Col. Allen Allensworth and the California Colony and Home Promotion Association. It began with eight commercial and public buildings, including a school, church, library, hotel and post office, plus 31 houses. The district covers about 150 acres, and no single architectural style dominates. Many homes, including the founder's, need extensive repair, while the 1912 wood-frame school remains in excellent condition and in use. The town was listed because it is described as California's only community founded, financed and governed by Black Americans. Its school helped defend the right of Black children to an education between 1913 and 1915, and its citizens influenced political actions across the state. Col. Allensworth was a former slave who rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel as an army chaplain. State plans call for preservation and restoration as a historic park.","period_of_significance":"20th Century; founding date August 3, 1908; preservation program focuses on 1908-1918","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"No dominant architectural style","criteria":[],"status_note":"Condition is mixed. Some houses have collapsed and many need extensive repair, while the 1912 school is in excellent condition and still used for school purposes. The state proposes preserving and restoring the townsite as a State Historic Park.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:31.59836-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_CA/72000263.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/72000263/43d7bab6f1-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/72000263/43d7bab6f1-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY 3.0","author":"Bobak Ha'Eri","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:2009-0725-CA-Allensworth.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Bobak Ha'Eri</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:2009-0725-CA-Allensworth.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/123862205","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colonel_Allensworth_State_Historic_Park","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5148087"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/california/tulare-county/allensworth-historic-district-72000263/"}