Alumni of Marfa’s Blackwell School pose with Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland (center) during a celebration of the school’s designation as a historic site.
The Blackwell School in Marfa was one of the many de facto segregated schools across the Southwest where Hispanic children were taught. And in some instances, like at Blackwell, they were barred from speaking Spanish.
The effort to preserve the old adobe schoolhouse in Marfa and get it formally designated as a national historic site has been years in the making. The Biden administration finalized the designation this summer, saying the new historic site status “permanently protects the site and helps tell the history of Texas school districts that established separate elementary schools for Mexican American children.”
Appearing at a celebration for the school’s designation on Saturday, Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland said Blackwell has now been “reclaimed for a higher purpose.”
“It’s a chapter of our shared American history that won’t be closed or forgotten, and that countless visitors will benefit from when they walk through the schoolhouse and learn about the role this place had for the better part of the 20th century,” she said.
Carlos Morales
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Marfa Public Radio
A ballet folklórico group from Marfa Independent School District performed at a celebration for Blackwell’s designation as a historic site.
Carlos Morales
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Marfa Public Radio
During Saturday’s celebration, Daniel Hernandez, a Marfa native and president of the Blackwell School Alliance, said the site is “hallowed ground” and worth protecting and remembering. “I see myself in the history that is reflected here today,” he said.
Carlos Morales
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Marfa Public Radio
In 2006, when the local school district discussed the possibility of demolishing the Blackwell School, a group of alumni, led by Joe Cabezuela, came together to propose saving the school and turning it into a community center.
Carlos Morales
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Marfa Public Radio
Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland poses for a photo with former U.S. Congressman Will Hurd. In 2020, Hurd, a Republican who represented the Big Bend area at the time, championed an early version of the legislation that would make the school a national historic site.
Carlos Morales
/
Marfa Public Radio
The Biden administration finalized the school's designation this summer, saying the new historic site status “permanently protects the site and helps tell the history of Texas school districts that established separate elementary schools for Mexican American children.”
Carlos Morales
/
Marfa Public Radio
Members of the Blackwell School Alliance, alumni, the National Park Service and Marfa ISD officials appeared at a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Saturday to celebrate the school’s designation as a national historic site.
Carlos Morales
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Marfa Public Radio
For years, the Blackwell School Alliance has maintained the school as a museum with displays featuring photographs, memorabilia and other relics from the school’s past.
Carlos Morales
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Marfa Public Radio
In 2019, the Blackwell School was listed on the National Register of Historic Places, which supporters said was a key step in its eventual designation as a national historic site.
Carlos Morales
/
Marfa Public Radio
Throughout Saturday’s celebration, attendees poured into the old adobe building to see the exhibits on display.
Carlos Morales
/
Marfa Public Radio
The Blackwell School closed in 1965 following integration of Marfa schools, and in the years that followed fell into disrepair.
