Locke Foundation


   Walking Tour

   Patrons & Volunteers

   Fundraising Project

            

                                      

 

BRIEF HISTORY OF LOCKE

Established in 1915, Locke is the only existent town in America built and inhabited almost exclusively by Chinese until recent years.  During its heyday from the 1920s to 1940s, Locke was an autonomous island of Chinese culture with a permanent population of about 600, including many families, and a seasonal farm labor population of an additional thousand.  At one time, it had four restaurants, a half dozen markets, dry goods stores, five brothels, a post office, two slaughter houses, a flour mill, canneries, shipping wharves, an opera, speakeasies during Prohibition, and five gambling houses.  Located about 30 miles south of Sacramento, Locke is the legacy of the extraordinary efforts made by the Chinese in developing agriculture in California.  In 1970, the town was placed on the Registry of national Historic Places.  Locke still looks almost as it did 50 years ago.  It has withstood the threat of fire and floods, the pain of poverty, discrimination and neglect, and abandonment by most of its original residents and offspring.  Of the ninety of so residents in Locke today, only about ten are Chinese.  Although many of Locke’s storefronts and clapboard homes have fallen in disrepair, recently the town’s infrastructure has been updated and repaired.  In 1990, Locke became a National Historic Landmark

LOCKE FOUNDATION

The Locke Foundation is a non-profit, 501 (c) (3) tax exempt, non-profit public benefit organization.  

Mission Statement

The mission of the Locke Foundation is to educate the public about Locke’s history and legacy.

Activities

·         Identify and mandate areas of preservation.

·         Collect, record, and store artifacts and archival material.

·         Record and preserve oral histories.

·         Develop and provide interpretive services.

·         Provide docent-led tours of Locke.

·         Staff the Boarding House Visitor’s Center.

·         Maintain the Locke Memorial Park and Monument.

·        Organize annual and special events.

LF BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND MEETINGS

The LF Board of Directors are volunteers who include property owners, a member-at-large, and representatives from Sacramento County, California State Parks and Recreation, a historical organization, and three Chinese American organizations.  The Board meets regularly on the fourth Monday of the month at 6:30 PM in the Locke Boarding House Visitors’ Center.  The public is invited to attend.