-Courtesy photos
September 14th marks the centennial of Lt. Colonel Allen Allensworth, a unique hero in American history. Monrovia Historical Museum and Friends of Allensworth commemorates this date with a special program at 1:30 pm at 742 E. Lemon Street. KGEM’s Ralph Walker said, “We want to focus on Allensworth’s life, his contributions, and his intellect. Here was an educator, a chaplain, and a true visionary.” Monrovia Historical Museum’s Mark Still said, “This is an opportunity to better understand our local African American history. We are building an exhibit and program around Allensworth and the Buffalo soldiers.”
Monrovia, Pasadena, and Duarte had social segregation in the early part of the 20th century – but life was still better than Jim Crow South. W. E. B. Dubois in a 1913 article in The Crisis extolled Southern California as a community for Blacks to work, raise children, and build roots. African Americans came streaming West from Texas, the Carolinas, Georgia, and elsewhere.
The highest ranking African American in the military at that time, Lt. Colonel Allen Allensworth, also moved to Los Angeles. His work was to establish an all-Black self-governing town – Allensworth in Tulare County – as an economically viable rural community. In 1908, Professor William Payne of Pasadena and others joined Allensworth to establish the California Colony and Home Protection Association. At its peak, the town of Allensworth had several dozen residents, a Baptist church, stores, bakery, school, choir, and library.
Lt. Colonel Allen Allensworth was a unique hero in American history. Born into slavery in Kentucky in 1842, Allensworth served in the Civil War and focused on getting a formal education after emancipation. In 1886, Allensworth became Chaplain to the all-Black 24th Army Infantry – the Buffalo Soldiers. He travelled extensively for two decades with the Army with a last assignment in the Philippine War. When he retired from the military, he was the highest ranking African American officer of his time. He then began a “second career” to further improve the Black experience.
Allen Allensworth was a member of Los Angeles Second Baptist Church (SBC) which was established in 1885. SBC helped establish Friendship Baptist Church in Pasadena in 1893 and Reverend Allen Allensworth became the first pastor for Monrovia’s Second Baptist Church, established in 1902. Both remain thriving African American congregations today. Monrovia’s Second Baptist Church received a generous five hundred dollars from the First Baptist Church of Monrovia, then pastored by Dr. Russell Greaves. In fact, the First Baptist Church intended to donate some pews to the Baptist Church in Allensworth. Unfortunately, in 1914, Allen Allensworth died unexpectedly and the pews still remain at the First Baptist Church in Monrovia.
Allensworth died on September 14, 1914 from injuries acquired in a motorcycle incident on Myrtle Avenue in Monrovia. He was walking from the train station to the Second Baptist Church when the collision occurred. Many inaccurate statements have been made of this incident but Steven Baker, Historian of Monrovia, will share his research on Allensworth at the Museum program on September 14, 2014.
