Stephen Hill, Author at

Independent Historian

Stephen Hill is an independent researcher. As a fellow of the Phlaxis Society, an international research group, he has been published in the society’s official journal and other national publications. His area of study is America’s all black towns. His current concentration is Allen Allensworth, the chaplain of the 24th Infantry Regiment from 1886 to 1906, and the town of Allensworth, California that he co-founded in 1908.

Allensworth, California

In 1908 four black men formed the California Colony and Home Promoting Association. The Association purchased 20 acres along the Santa Fe rail line from the Pacific Farming Company, at a railway stop called Solita. They divided this land into individual parcels to form the … Read MoreAllensworth, California

Oliver Toussaint Jackson (1862–1948)

Oliver Toussaint Jackson was an example of 19th Century western African American entrepreneurship. Jackson created a restaurant, a farm and a laundry service. His most ambitious venture was the establishment of Dearfield, Colorado, an agricultural colony for African Americans about 70 miles northeast of Denver. … Read MoreOliver Toussaint Jackson (1862–1948)

Dearfield, Colorado

On May 5, 1910 after four years of searching for a location that would accommodate two hundred families, Oliver Toussaint Jackson established Dearfield, a black agricultural colony on the arid high plains of Colorado. Jackson managed to gain the support of the Colorado chapter of … Read MoreDearfield, Colorado

Allen Allensworth (1842-1914)

Born into slavery in Kentucky in 1842, Allen Allensworth gained his freedom in the Civil War when the Forty-fourth Illinois Volunteer Infantry was camped in Louisville, Kentucky. Young Allensworth dressed in an old uniform, plastered mud over his face and marched boldly up Main street … Read MoreAllen Allensworth (1842-1914)