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This website is a research platform being developed by artist and cultural worker Ariana Faye Allensworth about Allensworth, CA.

First settled in 1908, the town of Allensworth is a once Black utopia in California’s Central Valley and the state’s first town founded, financed, and governed by Black Americans. 

The town flourished for nearly a decade but declined for a host of reasons including severe drought, the untimely death of the town’s founder Allen Allensworth, as well as the racially motivated re-routing of a railway that was a vital economic resource to the Allensworth community. 

Today, the town’s legacy lives on as a California State Historic Park and a groundswell of activists from Allensworth’s living community are stewarding efforts to ensure the town rises again. 

Subscribe to receive project updates about Ariana’s research journey, which stems from her family connection to the town’s history.