Old Pasadena in Los Angeles County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)

Pioneers & Entrepreneurs

Exploring Pasadena's Past

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, September 27, 2025

1. Pioneers & Entrepreneurs Marker

Click on image for a larger view.

Inscription. Cattle drivers, entrepreneurs, health-seekers: Pasadena's Black pioneers arrived with a host of skills and high hopes for a better life. Joseph Holmes drove cattle from Nebraska to Los Angeles in 1883, buying a vineyard in Pasadena with the proceeds. William and Frank Prince left Tennessee in 1886 to find work in Pasadena's wealthy neighborhoods. Like thousands of other early migrants, Booker and Carrie McAdoo came here for health reasons. From a population of 200 in 1900, Pasadena's Black population grew to 24,000 by the 1970s.

Did You Know? One of Pasadena's oldest Black-owned businesses started here.
James Woods operated a shoeshine at Union and Fair Oaks Avenue in the 1920s, across the street from a white-owned mortuary where he worked part time. After finishing mortuary studies in 1926, Woods opened his own mortuary. The family-owned business has continued to serve the community for generations.

Photo captions/credits (top to bottom)
• Opening of Woods-Valentine Mortuary, about 1956 (Black History Collection, Pasadena Museum of History (BH-D-13-6))
• Reginald and Arthur Prince, 1916 (Black History Collection, Pasadena Museum of History (BH-48-2))
• Carrie McAdoo's grocery store, about 1910
Booker and Carrie McAdoo left Alabama for California, settling

Paid Advertisement

Click or scan to see
this page online

here in 1899. They ran a restaurant together until Booker died in 1909, after which Carrie opened a grocery store at 679 South Fair Oaks Avenue and continued to raise her growing family. (Black History Collection, Pasadena Museum of History (BH-K-24-11))
• James Wood's shoeshine shop, North Fair Oaks Avenue, 1927 (Black History Collection, Pasadena Museum of History (BH-I-20-1))

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Industry & Commerce • Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical year for this entry is 1883.

Location. 34° 8.852′ N, 118° 9.044′ W. Marker is in Pasadena, California, in Los Angeles County. It is in Old Pasadena. It is at the intersection of North Fair Oaks Avenue and Holly Street, on the right when traveling south on North Fair Oaks Avenue. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 74/75 N Fair Oaks Ave, Pasadena CA 91103, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Greater Los Angeles

and in the Transverse Ranges.

It is also on the American Pacific Coast.

Globally, it is in North America,

on the Ring of Fire,

in the Pacific Rim,

in the Western Hemisphere,

in the Western World,

and in the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain

and also Mexico’s Alta California.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Pasadena City Hall (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Electric Alley (about 400 feet away); Hayes Alley (about 400 feet away); Mapping Prejudice in Pasadena (about 400 feet away); Exploring Pasadena's Past (about 400 feet away); Building Freeways, Dividing Communities

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, September 27, 2025

2. Pioneers & Entrepreneurs Marker

(about 400 feet away); Kendall Alley (about 500 feet away); Exchange Alley (about 500 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Pasadena.

Credits. This page was last revised on April 23, 2026. It was originally submitted on November 5, 2025, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 49 times since then and 12 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on November 5, 2025, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.