Disagreement on land ownership derails work on Mosier Valley Park in Fort Worth
Construction on a long-promised park recognizing a freedmen settlement has come to a halt, as residents say the city encroached on land outside its ownership, extending years of setbacks on the project.
The Mosier Valley community was promised Mosier Valley Park in 2014, to be built on what was the site of the segregated Mosier Valley School. A groundbreaking ceremony was held in February at 11220 Mosier Valley Road, but construction stopped on April 3, as residents say the city entered an area that did not belong to the city, cleared the land, and cut down protected oak trees that were of importance to the neighborhood.
Jeff Pointer, chairman of the Mosier Valley Property Owners Association, had asked for the site plans months before the groundbreaking, but never received them, he said. Once he saw the construction encroaching on land east of the parking lot on the site and trees being cut, he stopped the work, he said. The lack of communication to the Mosier Valley community continues to frustrate Pointer and others, he said, given years of being left in the dark about the park’s development.
“This has been going on for the last 20 years with this park, every time, it's something like this, every time,” he said.
Pointer and the Mosier Valley Property Owners Association want the city’s documentation of its land ownership and information on how much the city has spent to maintain the area. The group received a copy of the city’s plan for the park a few days after construction stopped but has not received an update since, Pointer said.
The former school building was moved to Bedford in 1985. The association plans to buy the schoolhouse and move it back to Mosier Valley in the area where the trees were cut down. A hair salon operates out of the building now.
“The work has paused at the request of some of the Mosier Valley stakeholders to ensure the boundaries of the park are accurate,” a statement from the Fort Worth Legal Department said.
A representative of City Councilwoman Deborah Peoples’s office said the office is aware of the construction stoppage and is working with the Parks Department to get construction back on track.
Former City Councilwoman Gyna Bivens spearheaded the park idea, and in February 2014, the city acquired 4 acres of the old school site from the Hurst-Euless-Bedford school district to create Mosier Valley Park. In December 2017, the city acquired an additional acre. The first phase, completed in May 2019, included a parking lot, walkways, and the construction of a concrete cap over what was the school’s foundation, which will be used for a plaza.
Discussions about the park have been ongoing for over 10 years, as delays have repeatedly pushed it back. The park was supposed to begin construction in January 2025, but a delay occurred when the city decided to bundle multiple projects to attract competitive bids from better contractors.
The park is to include a multi-sport court, a trail, exercise stations, a playground, and an expanded parking lot. The project was expected to be completed by December.
Mosier Valley, northeast of downtown Fort Worth, off West Euless Boulevard, and south of Euless, is a freedmen settlement built by formerly enslaved people after the Civil War.
Mosier Valley was founded in 1870 by Robert and Dilsie Johnson and 10 other emancipated slave families. It reached its peak population in the early 20th century with about 300 people. The schoolhouse, Mosier Valley School, was established in 1924. In 1949, it became part of the Euless school district.
Segregation laws prevented Black students from integrating into Euless schools in 1950. The Hurst-Euless-Bedford school district was integrated in 1968, 10 years after it formed, and the Mosier Valley school was closed. The Texas Historical Commission placed a historical marker at the site.
