Blackwell School National Historic Site
Texas
Managed by National Park Service
Established 2022
0.5 acre
Website: nps.gov/blsc
Overview
A three-room schoolhouse built for Marfa’s Hispanic children in 1909 is all that remains of a once larger campus (the Band Hall from 1927 is still attached). Blackwell School was named for a prominent early principal, and it closed in 1965 following legally mandated integration more than a decade after the Brown v. Board of Education decision. At its peak, the school had more than 600 students, with Hispanic students segregated, except on sports teams. After 1954, students were no longer allowed to speak Spanish on campus with a mock funeral held for the language and corporal punishment inflicted upon violators. Not all former students wanted to preserve this site where “separate but equal” education was practiced, but enough felt it was important to recall this history. The main building was saved from demolition by the nonprofit Blackwell School Alliance who helped the National Park Service (NPS) acquire the property from the Marfa Independent School District in 2024. The NPS has plans to reconstruct a belltower atop the adobe building.
Highlights
School building, playground
Must-Do Activity
You definitely want to arrive when an NPS employee is on site to allow you inside the building and to explain its history. There are artifacts and informational panels on display inside. There is even a coloring book available in both English and Spanish that explains the story of Blackwell School to children.
Best Trail
None
Photographic Opportunity
In the lot next to the school building is a playground, and there are plans to install outdoor interpretive signs and photos under the awning to provide information to visitors when the site is closed on weekdays.
Peak Season
Winter
Hours
Currently 12-4 on Saturdays and Sundays only
https://www.nps.gov/blsc/planyourvisit/basicinfo.htm
Fees
None
Road Conditions
Paved street parking is available at the site in Marfa.
Camping
There is an RV park in Marfa, or you can boondock at the Marfa Lights viewing area that has bathrooms. Big Bend National Park takes reservations for its campsites (with no hookups).
Related Sites
Brown v. Board of Education National Historical Park (Kansas)
César E. Chávez National Monument (California)
Fort Davis National Historic Site (Texas)
Guadalupe Mountains National Park (Texas)
Nearest National Park
Explore More – When was the first ever school opened in Marfa?
Raven About The Parks 
This is important to remember. Thank you for your post.
LikeLiked by 1 person
It has a unique story to tell. It will be interesting to see how the site is developed over the coming years.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m completely unfamiliar with this site, thanks for sharing its history and importance!
LikeLiked by 1 person
It’s very new and still being developed, but conveniently located on the way to Big Bend National Park from the west. It’s my NPS site 416/433.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Wow, you’re so close to hitting them all!
LikeLiked by 1 person
We need to preserve history and stories, this is fabulous that they are doing that. We were in Big Bend NP years ago, it’s a very unique landscape in that area. It’s also, as a Canadian, where I encountered my first fire ants! Not pleasant lol We don’t have them here, probably because it’s too cold here
LikeLiked by 1 person
Marfa is a unique town and a fun stop on the way to beautiful and diverse Big Bend National Park. Fire ants can be very unpleasant, especially if you set up your tent in the wrong place.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Very interesting. I understand the value of learning English in able to compete in the world. But corporal punishment if you didn’t? Native Americans faced the same kind of pressure and dehumanization. When I was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Liberia, 1965-67, the government also required that only English could be used in schools. But it went beyond that. When I wrote a second grade reader that used African Folk Tales and stories the kids could relate to rather than learning to read out of old California textbooks, the government banned the book and threatened to kick me out of the country if I ever spoke about it. It was all part of an effort to separate the children from their heritage.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Wow! That’s an amazing story. It’s sad that the past keeps repeating itself, but I think that is the importance of remembering sites like this one and Carlisle Indian Boarding School National Monument in Pennsylvania.
LikeLike
Absolutely right! Thanks.
LikeLiked by 1 person