Blackwell School Foundation Document

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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.

On July 17, 2024, the Secretary of the Interior formally established Blackwell School National Historic Site. The NPS is welcoming the new park by preparing a foundation document to guide future planning and management of Blackwell School National Historic Site.

A foundation document identifies a national park unit's core purpose and significance, its most important resources and values, and the interpretive themes that tell its unique American story. The preparation of a foundation document is the first step in planning for any new park. The document's intention is not to provide specific management actions or development planning. Rather, the foundation document will guide future decision making by ensuring all efforts stem from a unified understanding of what is most important about the park.

The National Park Service welcomed public input about the new park - including what is most important about the Blackwell School, potential issues that could threaten park resources, and opportunities for preservation, commemoration, or interpretation - during a comment period that ended on July 12, 2024. The park is now working with the information received and with stakeholders including Blackwell school alumni, their descendants, and former managers of the Blackwell School Museum to prepare the foundation document. The final document will be posted at this site when complete, likely in the late spring of 2025.

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Thank you for your interest in Blackwell School National Historic Site.

Contact Information

charles_lawson@nps.gov