Skip to main content

Image / Owen's block (right), purchased by Biddy Mason in 1866, Broadway side, Los …

Have a question about this item?

Item information. View source record on contributor's website.

Title
Owen's block (right), purchased by Biddy Mason in 1866, Broadway side, Los Angeles, circa 1901
Alternative Title
Owens family properties
Date Created and/or Issued
[circa 1901]
1901
Contributing Institution
UCLA, Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library
Collection
Miriam Matthews Photograph Collection
Rights Information
spec-coll@library.ucla.edu
Description
On November 28, 1866, Biddy Mason purchased two lots, bounded by Spring, Fort (now Broadway), 3rd and 4th Streets on the, then, outskirts of Los Angeles, for $250. Eighteen years later it was next to the city center.
Biddy Mason was brought to California as a slave in a wagon train. She petitioned for her freedom, and a judge granted it to her and her family in 1856. She became a successful nurse and midwife, and gained a small fortune through real estate investments. She donated generously to charities and was instrumental in the founding of the First African Methodist Episcopal Church in Los Angeles.
Looking north on Broadway between 3rd and 4th Streets. Biddy Mason's two tracts are the block on the right side of the street. At the time of this photograph, Biddy's heirs still owned the block. A streetcar is stopped in the middle of the street.
Type
image
Identifier
uclalsc_1889_b03_f07_005.tif
ark:/21198/z1cv61pk
Subject
Street railroads
Commercial streets
Mason, Biddy, 1818-1891
Source
Miriam Matthews Photograph Collection
OpenUCLA Collections

About the collections in Calisphere

Learn more about the collections in Calisphere. View our statement on digital primary resources.

Copyright, permissions, and use

If you're wondering about permissions and what you can do with this item, a good starting point is the "rights information" on this page. See our terms of use for more tips.

Share your story

Has Calisphere helped you advance your research, complete a project, or find something meaningful? We'd love to hear about it; please send us a message.

Explore related content on Calisphere: