Historically Black Neighborhood May See Funding To Finish Long-Awaited Park In East Fort Worth

Arlington TX

27 February, 2022

7:08 PM

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By Haley Samsel, Fort Worth Report February 27, 2022 The rich history of Mosier Valley is indisputable. Shortly after the Civil War, a group of formerly enslaved people established the first freedmen's town in Texas on a tract of land near the Trinity River. At its peak in the early 20th century, the neighborhood sitting on the edge of far east Fort Worth and Euless was home to about 300 people. Today, little of that history is visible. Industrial facilities outnumber the families who remain in the neighborhood, which lacked sewer lines, street lights, curbs or garbage collection for nearly 40 years after Fort Worth annexed it in 1960. Lorenzo Boldware, a retiree from TXU Energy, arrived in Mosier Valley more than three decades ago, before utilities were extended to the neighborhood in the late 1990s. He and his wife, Bernadette, have watched younger property owners leave the area due to a lack of amenities, including spaces for children to play and gather. "We stayed here when things were good, bad and in between," Boldware said. "Everybody knew everybody, everybody was supporting everybody. That was the thing I liked about Mosier Valley: the people." To read the full article, click here. Fort Worth Report is a nonpartisan, nonprofit news organization that produces factual, in-depth journalism about city and county government, schools, healthcare, business, and arts and culture in Tarrant County. Always free to read; subscribe to newsletters, read coverage or support our newsroom at fortworthreport.org.