I 

116TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 8221 

To establish the Blackwell School National Historic Site in Marfa, Texas, 

and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

SEPTEMBER 11, 2020 

Mr. HURD of Texas (for himself and Mr. CUELLAR) introduced the following 

bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources 

A BILL 

To establish the Blackwell School National Historic Site in 

Marfa, Texas, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Blackwell School Na5 tional Historic Site Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 

7 In this Act: 

8 (1) NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE.—The term ‘‘na9 tional historic site’’ means the Blackwell School, in 

10 Marfa, Texas. 


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1 (2) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 

2 the Secretary of the Interior. 

3 SEC. 3. FINDINGS. 

4 Congress finds as follows: 

5 (1) The Blackwell School, located at 501 South 

6 Abbott Street, in Marfa, Presidio County, Texas, is 

7 associated with the period of racial segregation in 

8 Marfa public schools and is the sole extant property 

9 directly associated with Hispanic education in the 

10 community, the remaining buildings having been 

11 torn down after the school closed in 1965. 

12 (2) The Blackwell School is a tangible reminder 

13 of a time when the practice of ‘‘separate but equal’’ 

14 dominated education and social systems. Despite 

15 being categorized as ‘‘white’’ by Texas law, Mexican 

16 Americans were regularly excluded from commin17 gling with Anglos at barbershops, restaurants, fu18 neral homes, theaters, churches, and schools. 

19 (3) The spectrum of experiences of students 

20 and teachers at the Blackwell School constitute an 

21 important record of life in a segregated school in the 

22 context of the history of Texas and America. 

23 (4) Mexican and Mexican American culture and 

24 history in Marfa is tied to the Blackwell School, 

25 which for more than 50 years served as a leading 


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1 feature of the Hispanic community, illustrating the 

2 challenge of maintaining cultural identity in a domi3 nant Anglo society. Yet today, Hispanic influences 

4 are seen in Marfa’s social and religious organiza5 tions, business and government institutions, and 

6 shared experiences of language, food, and music. 

7 (5) The historic Blackwell School building is a 

8 physical record of the longevity and beauty of the 

9 distinctive design and craftsmanship informed by 

10 both traditional techniques and materials, and the 

11 transition from purely the vernacular to the period 

12 of materials, design, and workmanship made avail13 able after the arrival of the railroad. The original 

14 historic school building and grounds on which it 

15 stands provide an authentic setting to commemorate 

16 and interpret the history of the Blackwell School. 

17 (6) The Blackwell School is closely associated 

18 with the broad patterns of local, State, and national 

19 history in the area of school segregation. Mexicans 

20 and other members of the Latin American diaspora 

21 have placed a high value upon education as a means 

22 of economic, social, and political advancement. 

23 (7) Mexican Americans and other members of 

24 the Latin American diaspora have placed a high 

25 value upon education as a means of economic, social, 


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1 and political advancement. However, Hispanics and 

2 Latinos have not always had equitable opportunities 

3 and access to quality educational facilities in the 

4 United States. 

5 SEC. 4. ESTABLISHMENT OF THE BLACKWELL SCHOOL NA6 TIONAL HISTORIC SITE. 

7 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.— 

8 (1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to paragraph (2), 

9 there is established the Blackwell School National 

10 Historic Site in the State of Texas as a unit of the 

11 National Park System to preserve, protect and inter12 pret for the benefit of present and future genera13 tions the Blackwell School, its role as both an aca14 demic and cultural cornerstone in the community in 

15 Marfa, Texas, and its function within a segregated 

16 system of education in Texas and the United States 

17 from 1885 through 1965. 

18 (2) CONDITIONS.—The national historic site 

19 shall not be established until the date on which the 

20 Secretary has— 

21 (A) entered into a written agreement with 

22 the Marfa Unified School District providing 

23 that the Blackwell School shall be donated to or 

24 placed by agreement into co-management with 

25 the United States for inclusion in a national 


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1 historic site to be managed consistently with the 

2 purposes of a national historic site; and 

3 (B) acquired sufficient land or interests in 

4 land within the boundaries of the national his5 toric site to constitute a manageable unit. 

6 (b) BOUNDARIES.—The boundaries of the national 

7 historic site shall be the boundaries generally depicted on 

8 the map. 

9 (c) AVAILABILITY OF MAP.—The map shall be on file 

10 and available for public inspection in the appropriate of11 fices of the National Park Service. 

12 (d) ACQUISITION OF AUTHORITY.—The Secretary 

13 may only acquire any land or interest in land located with14 in the boundary of the national historic site by— 

15 (1) donation; 

16 (2) purchase with donated funds; or 

17 (3) exchange. 

18 (e) ADMINISTRATION.— 

19 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall admin20 ister this national historic site in accordance with— 

21 (A) this Act; and 

22 (B) the laws generally applicable to units 

23 of the National Park System. 

24 (2) MANAGEMENT PLAN.— 


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1 (A) Not later than 3 years after the date 

2 on which funds are first made available to the 

3 Secretary for this purpose, the Secretary shall 

4 prepare a general management plan for the na5 tional historic site in accordance with section 

6 100502 of title 54, United States Code. 

7 (B) Upon completion, the Secretary shall 

8 submit the general management plan prepared 

9 pursuant to subparagraph (A) to the Com10 mittee on Natural Resources of the House of 

11 Representatives and Committee on Energy and 

12 Natural Resources of the Senate. 

13 (f) COOPERATIVE AGREEMENTS.—The Secretary 

14 shall enter into cooperative agreements with the Blackwell 

15 School Alliance (and other local, regional, State, academic 

16 and non-profit partners) for interpretive and educational 

17 programming, technical assistance, and rehabilitation re18 lated to the national historic site. 

19 (g) WRITTEN CONSENT OF OWNER.—No private 

20 property or non-Federal public property shall be included 

21 within the boundaries of the national historic site or man22 aged as part of the national historic site without the writ23 ten consent of the owner of such property. 

Æ 


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