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Blackwell School Foundation Document
Blackwell School National Historic Site » Blackwell School Foundation Document » Document List
On October 17, 2022, the Blackwell School National Historic Site Act authorized the establishment of the Blackwell School National Historic Site in Marfa, Texas, and directed the Secretary of the Interior to acquire the property and establish a new unit of the national park system. The legislation directed the National Park Service (NPS) to preserve, protect, and interpret the Blackwell School including its role as an academic and cultural cornerstone in Marfa, Texas, and its function within a segregated system of education in Texas and the United States from a period of 1885 through 1965.
With the help of the Marfa community, public, and park partners and stakeholders; the NPS has prepared a foundation document to guide future planning and management of Blackwell School National Historic Site. Foundation documents are a first step before comprehensive management and development planning at a new park.
Every unit of the national park system has a foundational document to provide basic guidance for planning and management decisions—a foundation for planning and management. The Blackwell School National Historic Site Foundation Document was finalized in May 2025. The core components of a foundation document include a brief description of the park as well as the park's purpose, significance, fundamental resources and values, and interpretive themes. The foundation document also includes special mandates and administrative commitments, an assessment of planning and data needs that identifies planning issues, planning products to be developed, and the associated studies and data required for park planning. Along with the core components, the assessment provides a focus for park planning activities and establishes a baseline from which planning documents are developed.
A primary benefit of developing a foundation document is the opportunity to integrate and coordinate all kinds and levels of planning from a single, shared understanding of what is most important about the park. The process of developing a foundation document begins with gathering and integrating information about the park. Next, this information is refined and focused to determine what the most important attributes of the park are. The process of preparing a foundation document aids park managers, staff, and the public in identifying and clearly stating in one document the essential information that is necessary for park management to consider when determining future planning efforts, outlining key planning issues, and protecting resources and values that are integral to park purpose and identity.
You can find the Blackwell School National Historic Site Foundation Document via the "Document List" link to the left or via the park website at https://www.nps.gov/blsc.
With the help of the Marfa community, public, and park partners and stakeholders; the NPS has prepared a foundation document to guide future planning and management of Blackwell School National Historic Site. Foundation documents are a first step before comprehensive management and development planning at a new park.
Every unit of the national park system has a foundational document to provide basic guidance for planning and management decisions—a foundation for planning and management. The Blackwell School National Historic Site Foundation Document was finalized in May 2025. The core components of a foundation document include a brief description of the park as well as the park's purpose, significance, fundamental resources and values, and interpretive themes. The foundation document also includes special mandates and administrative commitments, an assessment of planning and data needs that identifies planning issues, planning products to be developed, and the associated studies and data required for park planning. Along with the core components, the assessment provides a focus for park planning activities and establishes a baseline from which planning documents are developed.
A primary benefit of developing a foundation document is the opportunity to integrate and coordinate all kinds and levels of planning from a single, shared understanding of what is most important about the park. The process of developing a foundation document begins with gathering and integrating information about the park. Next, this information is refined and focused to determine what the most important attributes of the park are. The process of preparing a foundation document aids park managers, staff, and the public in identifying and clearly stating in one document the essential information that is necessary for park management to consider when determining future planning efforts, outlining key planning issues, and protecting resources and values that are integral to park purpose and identity.
You can find the Blackwell School National Historic Site Foundation Document via the "Document List" link to the left or via the park website at https://www.nps.gov/blsc.