Allen Light was an African-American mariner, born in Philadelphia about 1805. He arrived in Santa Barbara about 1835. Light hunted sea otters, gained Mexican citizenship and guarded the California coastline against American and Native American poachers. He settled in San Diego for several years during the 1840s, operating a saloon in Old Town with Richard Freeman, another African-American, on the site where the reconstructed Light-Freeman House now stands. Two fascinating documents found in the wall of an old building are the basis for these studies.
SDHS