[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 155 (Saturday, September 27, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2039]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[[Page E2039]]
      RECOGNIZING THE 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF ALLENWORTH, CALIFORNIA

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. DEVIN NUNES

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 25, 2008

  Mr. NUNES. Madam Speaker, I rise today with great pride to recognize 
the 100th Anniversary of Allensworth--a small town in Tulare County, 
California, founded, financed and governed by African Americans. The 
town was created in 1908 by Col. Allen Allensworth, a visionary man 
with an extraordinary life.
  Allen Allensworth was born a slave in Louisville, Kentucky, in 1842. 
At the age of 12, he was sold for trying to learn to read and write. He 
was taken to New Orleans and bought by a slaveholder to become a 
jockey.
  When the Civil War started and Union forces neared Louisville, 
Allensworth seized the opportunity to gain his freedom by joining the 
Navy. Prior to being discharged, he had achieved the rank of first 
class petty officer. In 1871, he was ordained as a Baptist minister and 
entered the Baptist Theological Institute at Nashville. While serving 
at the Union Baptist Church in Cincinnati, he learned of the need for 
African American chaplains in the armed services and got an appointment 
as Chaplain of the 24th Infantry.
  At the time of the Civil War, Allensworth saw many African Americans 
move west to escape discrimination. With four other men with a similar 
vision, he decided to establish a place where African Americans could 
live and thrive without oppression. On June 30, 1908, they formed the 
California Colony Home Promoting Association.
  The town of Allensworth began with 20 acres in southwest Tulare 
County, and later grew to more than 80 acres. By 1914, the little town 
boasted 200 inhabitants.
  That same year Allensworth became its own voting precinct, as well as 
its own judicial district. Tragically, Col. Allensworth was killed on 
September 14, 1914, when he was hit by a motorcycle while getting off a 
streetcar in Monrovia. After a funeral at the Second Baptist Church in 
Los Angeles, he was buried with full military honors.
  Over the years, the population dwindled in the small town. In 1970, 
there was an effort to save the town as an historic monument and park 
dedicated to the memory of Col. Allensworth and the achievements and 
contributions of African Americans to the history of California.
  In 1974, California State Parks purchased land within the historical 
town site of Allensworth, and it became Colonel Allensworth State 
Historic Park. A collection of restored early 20th-century buildings--
including the Colonel's house, historic schoolhouse, Baptist church, 
and library--sit within the park.
  Today, I ask that my colleagues join me in celebrating the rich 
history of Allensworth and its lasting legacy as an inspirational art 
of the State of California.

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