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.
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