The US National Park Service Just Added a New Site in Marfa, Texas

Built in 1909, the adobe brick structure served as the sole public education institution for Marfa’s Hispanic students from that year until 1965. Today, it’s a landmark in the tiny town of Marfa, and a museum to the history of the building and challenges children faced in the era of segregation of Mexican and Mexican-American students.

 

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Though Texas had no laws mandating separate schools, the practice of de facto segregation prevailed throughout the South in the middle of the 20th century, and Marfa was no exception. Following the construction of a new school for European-descended students in 1892, Hispanic children continued attending school in the town’s original school building. However, by 1909, the need for a dedicated space arose, leading the district to construct the two-room schoolhouse that became known as the Ward or Mexican School. It was later named the Blackwell School after Jesse Blackwell, a longtime principal beloved at the school.

The Blackwell school tells a story of a changing time, as it both provided benefits to students, and represented a continuation of the racist principle of “separate but equal.” It was a source of educational opportunities for a marginalized community with a rigorous curriculum, and served as meetinghouse to celebrate Mexican heritage in Marfa, with alumni and their descendants still living and working in the town today.

Photo: The Blackwell School National Historic Site/NPS

However, the school also embodied the discriminatory practices of the era. Students faced strict punishments and were actively discouraged from speaking Spanish. Teachers even held mock funerals where Spanish words were buried, signifying the attempted suppression of their cultural identity.

The Blackwell School closed in 1965 when Marfa’s public schools became fully integrated. In 2006, alumni founded the Blackwell School Alliance, which worked with the National Parks Conservation Association to lobby to make the school into a federally protected site. Today, it’s only the second site managed by the National Park Service that celebrates Latino history, joining the César Chávez National Monument in California.