Fort Worth city leaders announced a $73,120 expansion project for the historic Mosier Valley Park.
The community is where the first freed Texans settled after news of the Emancipation Proclamation spread across the nation.
“The establishment of Mosier Valley Park has been a wonderful vehicle that is unifying the community,” Fort Worth City Council member Gyna Bivens said in a news release.
Founded in the 1870s on the bank of the Trinity River, Mosier Valley was home to more than 10 freed slave families.
While the park has all the aspects needed for a city park such as playgrounds, courts and trails, it will also pay homage to the historical importance of this community and the people who first moved here with their first freedoms.
“Considering the fact this location is where the first freed slaves settled in Texas, I am confident it will be one of the state of Texas’ destination spots,” Bivens said.
There will be an area dedicated specifically to the history of the area in the form of interpretive commemoration or historic designation.
