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A historical marker commemorates the site of Mosier Valley School, which educated generations of Black children in far east Fort Worth near Euless. Mosier Valley was the first community established by formerly enslaved people in Texas shortly after the Civil War. Haley Samsel | Fort Worth Report)
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Danielle Tucker’s roots in Mosier Valley run deep. Her father and uncle have owned property in the far east Fort Worth neighborhood for decades, and their family is working to get a rental house up and running. 

But Tucker’s passion for the historic Black community — and its long-awaited park — goes beyond economic development prospects. The park has the power to tell the community’s story, she said. 

“The ancestors that were here before, they never had anything to enjoy. They saw everything be destroyed,” Tucker said. “This is the only thing that they can actually look forward to that is still existing.” 

Mosier Valley holds the distinction of being the first freedmen’s town, or community established by formerly enslaved people, in Texas. Shortly after the Civil War, a dozen families settled on a tract of land now on the far edge of east Fort Worth and Euless. 

At its peak in the early 20th century, the area was home to about 300 people. With the exception of a historical marker commemorating the site of a schoolhouse, little of the community’s rich history is visible today. 

Most members of the original families moved because they couldn’t afford to pay higher taxes after the land was annexed by Fort Worth in 1960, Tucker said. Businesses and industrial facilities outnumber homes in the neighborhood, which lacked sewer lines and streetlights for nearly 40 years after annexation. 

Leaders paid homage to Mosier Valley’s legacy when the city acquired parkland there in 2014, with Fort Worth City Council member Gyna Bivens calling it a “destination spot for history.” 

Since then, residents have voiced frustration over what they see as a lack of progress on the park, which has faced delays since the installation of picnic tables and parking spaces in 2019. 

Armed with an overall budget of $905,000, Fort Worth parks officials say they’re poised to begin the next stage of construction, as laid out in the park’s master plan. Proposed amenities include playgrounds, picnic shelters, park furniture, walking trails and security lighting.

Combined with the funding for initial improvements, the city will spend over $1 million on Mosier Valley Park, Bivens said. 

“Don’t let anybody tell you City Hall doesn’t care about Mosier Valley,” Bivens said during a Feb. 17 public meeting. “I think we’ve proven that, and when you see more going up, you’ll be able to have events there.” 

Fort Worth City Council member Gyna Bivens has represented Mosier Valley since 2013. City officials first acquired parkland there in 2014, and more than $900,000 has been budgeted to build amenities over the next few years. (Haley Samsel | Fort Worth Report)

Because the project is largely supported by 2022 bond funds, park construction should be complete before September 2027. Before crews start turning dirt, city staff members are holding public meetings to gather input from residents about their top priorities for the 5.1-acre park, at 11220 Mosier Valley Road. 

At the February meeting, residents said they wanted to see security lighting and maintenance of high grasses to discourage people from camping in the park. Others, including Tucker, said they would like to see a public art installation commemorating the agricultural and educational contributions of Mosier Valley residents. 

The original schoolhouse, built as part of a nationwide initiative to educate Black children, was a hub of Mosier Valley from 1924 to 1953. When the two-room elementary school became dilapidated and was set to close, Mosier Valley families successfully filed suit for the right to be educated at a new school building in their neighborhood rather than travel to segregated schools in Fort Worth. Parents attempted to enroll their children in Euless schools in 1950, only to be repelled by a white crowd, according to the city of Euless.

When nearby school districts desegregated, Mosier Valley native Vada Mae Johnson became Hurst-Euless-Bedford’s first Black teacher in 1965. The original school building was later bought and moved to Bedford, where it now houses a beauty salon. 

“There’s nothing to give any remembrance to what she did as far as teaching at the school, teaching a lot of the students and residents that are still in the area,” Tucker said. “We need at least a mural of the school. Even just that mural alone would set the whole tone of what Mosier Valley used to be and what it can be.” 

Armed with an overall budget of $905,000, Fort Worth parks officials say they’re poised to begin the next stage of construction at Mosier Valley Park, pictured in February 2024. (Haley Samsel | Fort Worth Report)

However, there is currently no funding in the city’s public art plan allocated to Mosier Valley, said Joel McElhany, Fort Worth’s assistant director of parks planning and resource management. 

Tucker would like to see that change in the near future and see construction on the park itself. Bivens and parks officials plan to host another public meeting before then, likely in May or June.

With more than 300 apartments and townhomes coming to Mosier Valley in the next few years, the area needs additional amenities, Tucker said. 

“It will be progress if the neighborhood is more involved and there’s information passed up to property owners, because a lot of people own property here but they don’t stay in the area,” she said. “You have a lot of your new, up-and-coming residents that are going to come, too … and this will be a perfect amenity right here.” 

Haley Samsel is the environmental reporter for the Fort Worth Report. You can reach them at haley.samsel@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.