Downtown Los Angeles in Los Angeles County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)
Biddy Mason
The Slave who Owned Los Angeles
Photographed By Craig Baker, February 28, 2021
1. Biddy Mason Memorial
Eighteen year old Biddy and her sister Hannah became the property of Robert Smith, a plantation owner in Logtown, Mississippi, 1836.
Smith transported slaves to California, a free state, where Judge Hayes declares Biddy Mason’s family entitled to freedom and free forever, 1856.
Robert & Henry Owens, Biddy’s grandsons, start a livery stable here on part of her homestead when Los Angeles is booming, 1885.
Biddy nurses the sick, comforts prisoners, and pays a grocery at Fourth and Spring to feed all the families made homeless by seasonal floods, 1880-1890.
Erected 1989.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: African Americans.
Location. 34° 2.994′ N, 118° 14.891′ W. Marker is in Los Angeles, California, in Los Angeles County. It is in Downtown Los Angeles. Marker can be reached from Spring Street south of 3rd Street, on the right when traveling south. Located in the alley between Spring and Broadway. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 333 S Spring St, Los Angeles CA 90013, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Spring Street (within shouting distance of this marker); Bradbury Building (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Million Dollar Theatre / Grand Central Market
this page online
Regarding Biddy Mason. Born into slavery, Biddy Mason learned a variety of skills including medicine and child care. A California court granted her and her daughters freedom in 1856. She worked as a nurse and midwife in the years after, living frugally until amassing enough money to purchase land. Her first plot was located on Spring Street between 4th and 5th Streets, purchased in 1866. She continued acquiring real estate in Los Angeles, becoming wealthy in the process. In 1872 she founded the First African Methodist Episcopal Church. After her death in 1891, she was buried in Evergreen Cemetery. In 1988, her burial place was marked with a gravestone.
Photographed By Craig Baker, February 28, 2021
2. Biddy Mason Memorial
Photographed By Craig Baker, February 28, 2021
3. Biddy Mason Memorial
Photographed By Craig Baker, February 28, 2021
4. Biddy Mason Memorial
Photographed By Craig Baker, February 28, 2021
5. Biddy Mason Memorial
Photographed By Craig Baker, February 28, 2021
6. Biddy Mason
Credits. This page was last revised on January 30, 2023. It was originally submitted on August 21, 2021, by Craig Baker of Sylmar, California. This page has been viewed 450 times since then and 43 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on August 21, 2021, by Craig Baker of Sylmar, California.
