Owen's block (right), purchased by Biddy Mason in 1866, Broadway side, Los Angeles, circa 1901

Title: Owen's block (right), purchased by Biddy Mason in 1866, Broadway side, Los Angeles, circa 1901
Alternative title: Owens family properties
Date Created: [circa 1901]
Date: 1901
Collection: Miriam Matthews Photograph Collection
OpenUCLA Collections

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.