How Allensworth, California Became a Model Community for Black Americans in the Early 1900s And why activists are fighting to preserve its legacy. By Maria C. Hunt Allen Allensworth. courtesy of California State Parks Like many other Black people in the early 1900s, Colonel Allen Allensworth yearned for a place where he could live his best life. So he decided to do something about it: The formerly enslaved man and decorated veteran teamed up with educators and entrepreneurs to found Allensworth, a model California community just for Black people in 1908. Allensworth was designed as a self-contained community with its own voting precinct, schools, justice of the peace, and constable. It had a Santa Fe train depot that brought visitors and commerce to the town, acres of fertile farmland and assurances of plentiful water to ensure the town’s growth. Allensworth thrived for a time, attracting as many as 300 residents, and then dwindled due to a series of devastating blows.