The site of a school that more than a century ago served one of Texas’ first all-Black communities will once again be a gathering spot and resource for the community as officials begin the transformation of Mosier Valley Park.
Fort Worth leaders and members of the historic Mosier Valley neighborhood gathered Feb. 26, where they turned dirt on the first phase of the 6-acre park that will include a trail system, fitness stations and event spaces.
The parkland’s development is important to the neighborhood’s legacy as the state’s first freedmen’s town, or a community established by people formerly enslaved, officials added.
The park houses the little bit of open space left in the predominantly Black neighborhood, sandwiched between industrial and business facilities in far east Fort Worth.
“It gives us a sense of, ‘We didn’t let our ancestors down,’” said Jeff Pointer, president of the Mosier Valley Neighborhood Association. “They came in and left this to us, and to do exactly this. Our ancestors can rest.”
Thursday’s groundbreaking was the culmination of 12 years of planning and waiting since the city first acquired most of the land for the park.
The park’s amenities will include an enhanced trail system, four basketball courts, fitness stations and more parking to support future events and increase accessibility, park and recreation director Dave Lewis said at the event.
The park will also house a new playground at some point in its development. City officials plan to spend just over $905,000 on the park, predominantly funded by the 2022 bond program.
City Council member Deborah Peoples, whose district includes the predominantly Black neighborhood, said she could not honor the park without thanking her council predecessor Gyna Bivens.
“This project has been long in the making,” Peoples said. Bivens, who gave up her district seat in 2025, asked her successor to “take care” of Mosier Valley when she took public office, Peoples said.
Bivens, who served District 5 since 2013, died earlier this month soon after announcing that she’d been diagnosed with cancer. Throughout her tenure, she adamantly called for city officials to prioritize the development and maintenance of Mosier Valley Park.
“Today we are starting the journey to take care of Mosier Valley,” Peoples said.
The area has historical and cultural significance, she stressed.
“It is important that we preserve and honor that legacy,” Peoples said. “I am so excited to see the diverse community members who are here today, because they have embraced this history and are committed to carrying it forward.”
The historic neighborhood was annexed into Fort Worth in 1960 ahead of the Dallas Fort Worth International Airport’s construction. The acquisition displaced some residents because they couldn’t afford to pay higher property taxes, according to previous Report coverage.
Remaining residents cited concerns about seeing little improvement in the neighborhood’s infrastructure since it was annexed, prompting the city to address dilapidated areas.
That outcry from the public included a lack of parkland. Fort Worth leaders acquired 4 acres of the parkland in 2014. The land is equipped with a historical marker commemorating Mosier Valley School from 1883, which once stood at the park.
The park’s development drew criticism from residents after progress stalled in 2019. That year, officials installed tables and parking spaces, while the area remained mostly a park in name only.
Now, the public can expect a recreation center and urban farm at the park by 2028, said Pointer, the association president.
Preserving the school’s history through the park and its amenities is important because the school once served as a center and resource for the community, Pointer said.
Construction on the first phase of the park is slated for a completion date of December.
“This is where everybody came, and we want to bring it back to that,” Lewis said.
Nicole Lopez is the environment reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact her at nicole.lopez@fortworthreport.org.
At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.
Great Job Nicole Lopez & the Team @ Fort Worth Report for sharing this story.
