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. Spring Street between 3rd and 4th Streets, facing west towards a commercial building with Exton Music Co., and other businesses. 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. Written on back of photo: James-Huddleston block -- on Spring St. side of Biddy Mason property [Ellen Mason Owens Huddleston was Biddy's daughter] .
Type
image
Identifier
uclalsc_1889_b03_f07_003a.tif ark:/21198/z1nc7j70
Subject
Spring Street (Los Angeles, Calif.) Commercial streets Mason, Biddy, 1818-1891
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