Juneteenth Celebration

We are no more aliens to this country or to its institutions than our brothers in white… Together we planted the tree of liberty and watered its roots with our tears and blood, and under its branches we will stay and be sheltered.

-Thomas E. Miller

Martha Yates Jones & Pinkie Yates in a buggy decorated for the annual Juneteenth celebration (c. 1895- 1905)

Joint the Friends of Allensworth Cooperating Association and the California Department of Parks and Recreation as we celebrate Juneteenth. Come enjoy the live entertainment on stage, shop in the vendor area, and tour the historic homes and businesses.

 

The California Red Tails, one of fourteen Black Pilots of America chapters, will perform a fly over during the Juneteenth celebration.  

When: Saturday, June 14, 2014

Time: 10:00 am to 4:00 pm

Where: Colonel Allensworth State Historic Park

For more information or to request a vendor application contact Friends of Allensworth President Thomas Stratton at 530-949-2168 or info@friendsofallensworth.org.

Archaeologist Betty Rivers dies at the age of 88

Archaeologist Betty Rivers at Colonel Allensworth SHP in 2003

Betty Rivers, archaeologist for the California Department of Parks and Recreation, died on May 9^th.  Mrs. Rivers directed the Department of Parks’ 1988 Allensworth historical research project.

According to her obituary in the Sacramento Bee, in 1949 she studied at the Sorbonne in Paris, where she socialized with writers like James Baldwin and Richard Wright. Before returning to the United States in 1954, she married her first husband, an African American painter.

Not only did Mrs. Rivers direct archaeological projects at Allensworth, she interviewed residents and past residents, thus preserving their stories and the Allensworth story for future generations. As late as 2007, Mrs. Rivers was still conducting historical research on Allensworth and the Allensworth Hotel.

Her article Archaeology with Everyone's Blessing: Testing the First Baptist Church Site at Colonel Allensworth SHP is on the Department of Parks and Recreation website.

General Jackson Announces His Retirement

Major General Anthony Jackson, director of the California Department of Parks and Recreation, announced that he will retire on June 30, 2014.

General Jackson was appointed to the position of director in November 2012, when Ruth Coleman resigned after it was discovered that the department had $54 million hidden away in two special funds. 

In the Department of Parks news release General Jackson said "I want to thank Gov. Brown and the dedicated group of professionals at State Parks for the opportunity to return to public service and help earn back the public's trust in one of California's most valuable assets, it has been a challenging, but ultimately fulfilling tenure at California State Parks." 

Major General Anthony Jackson we thank you for your service to the United States, the state of California and the Department of Parks and Recreation.