MARFA — The ownership transfer of the Blackwell School and its grounds from Marfa ISD to the National Park Service, a crucial final step required for the newly designated National Historic Site to become a reality, is nearly complete.
The school district plans to hold a special meeting on June 3 to hear from NPS staff, and will — if all goes according to plan — finalize the transaction at its regular board meeting on June 24. “We feel very positive that the transfer of land will happen on June 24,” Marfa ISD Interim Superintendent Arturo Alferez said.
Talks between the district, parks service, the Blackwell School Alliance and other entities regarding the ownership transfer have been underway since October 2022 when the Blackwell School — a de facto segregated school that served Mexican American students from 1909 to 1965 — was officially designated as a National Historic Site. Before that hard-won milestone, the alliance, a group formed in 2007 with the goal of preserving the building and creating a museum, leased the adobe structure from the school district for $1 a year.
David Larson, superintendent of the Fort Davis National Historic Site who is acting as a local liaison for Blackwell on behalf of NPS, said the ball is currently in the school district’s court, with all other entities waiting on them to review and adopt documents. “Right now, the school district, the board needs to decide and vote on this transaction process,” Larson said.
The district plans to donate the deed to the property directly to the National Park Service, and in turn, the National Park Foundation, which raises money on behalf of the parks, will pay the district for the market value of the property in the form of a donation. Alferez declined to provide an exact amount the district is expecting to receive, citing ongoing legal negotiations. The property, including the building and grounds, is valued at $237,720 as of 2024, according to the Presidio County Appraisal District.
A handful of Blackwell advocates addressed MISD trustees at a meeting on Monday to urge them to finalize the ownership transfer and to question why the process has been so protracted. “I just wish y’all would get something done,” said Marfa resident Dawn Shannon. “Give Blackwell to the National Park Service like it needs to be.”
Sarah Martinez, granddaughter of Blackwell alum Lionel “Leo” Salgado, expressed to board members how important it was for her family to see the Blackwell School reopen as a National Historic Site, and asked board members to keep in mind that time is running out for many alumni up in age.
Ann Marie Nafziger, who has lived across the street from the Blackwell School for over 20 years, said the site is an important resource, addressing the history of racism and segregation in the community, and the step to finalize the property transfer needed to occur for the building’s history to be preserved in perpetuity. “I just really encourage you all, to as swiftly as possible, make the transfer of land and do what needs to be done so that Blackwell can take the next step forward,” Nafziger said.
Martha Stafford, a community consultant with the National Parks Conservation Association and the Blackwell School Alliance, said the district owed it to their students, staff and the entire community to push the property transfer through. “A large percentage of your students and your staff are Blackwell descendants, and they deserve to have their family stories preserved and shared by the National Park Service,” Stafford said. “Everything is in place to make this happen. I urge you not to let anything stand in the way of passing the resolution and signing the direct deed.”
In response to the cluster of Blackwell comments, School Board President Teresa Nuñez and Board Member Yolanda Morales Jurado said the board is in total support of the Blackwell School becoming a National Historic Site; they were just trying to wade through the complicated legal process of giving over the land.
In a follow-up interview with The Big Bend Sentinel Alferez confirmed the district is still working with its lawyers to finalize the property transfer — a complex process involving inspections, appraisals and more. But he is hopeful the finish line is near. “For every box that we check off, it seems that another five appear,” Alferez said. “That’s been the delay.”
The City of Marfa is also involved with the transfer because it entered into a 25-year agreement with the district to lease Blackwell Park for $1 a year back in 2010. City Manager Mandy Roane said in order for the property transfer to happen both the school and city will need to formally break the lease; she sent the lease amendment to the city’s attorney and they were not anticipating any major issues.
Larson agreed that “there are a lot of moving pieces,” but the momentum to see the property transfer complete was building with the next steps already in place. “The park service, across from the local to regional to national levels, is very excited about this park,” Larson said. “We’re definitely preparing for that establishment and looking at having a ceremony to open up the park to the public and having leadership come down and do an event. We’re also moving into some planning exercises with the public.”
President of the Blackwell School Alliance Daniel Hernandez said the organization’s board is excited to reach an end to the property transfer negotiations. He said the group plans to stay involved with the community in the coming months as NPS continues its transition to take over the site. He said from the alliance’s establishment in 2007 to today has been a “whirlwind journey” made possible by the organization’s founders who recognized Blackwell as a special place in the country’s Mexican American history.
“To be here almost two decades later, now, standing on a National Park site really magnifies the importance of the site and what it means in American history,” Hernandez said.