History
Historic Sites • Museums
The history of MARFA, Texas, includes the mysterious Marfa Lights, the filming of the movie Giant, and the minimalistic art installations of Donald Judd.
MARFA, the county seat of Presidio County, is at the junction of US Highway 90 and 67 in the northeastern part of the county. It was established in 1883 as a water stop and freight headquarters for the Galveston, Harrisburg, and San Antonio Railway. Fittingly named after a character in a novel, MARFA has a history of attracting creative spirits. Reportedly, the wife of a railroad executive suggested the name MARFA from Fyodor Dostoyevsky’s The Brothers Karamazov, which she was reading at the time.
The MARFA population continued to grow, and in 1930 the town had 3,909 residents. During the 1940s, the government stationed the Chemical Warfare Brigades in MARFA and constructed a prisoner of war camp nearby. World War II also saw the building of Marfa Army Air Field ten miles east of MARFA. It was an advanced flight-training base. The military installations were closed the next year, however, ending a vital economic and cultural influence on the area.
Until the 1970s, MARFA was best known for the Marfa Lights and the film location for James Dean’s final picture, Giant, with Rock Hudson and Elizabeth Taylor. The classically-beautiful Hotel Paisano served as the center of activity during the making of the movie. In 1971, Donald Judd, the renowned minimalist artist, moved to MARFA from New York City with the intention of permanently installing his art.
Historic Sites
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The Blackwell School National Historic Site
Blackwell School was the sole public education institution for the city’s Mexican and Mexican American children from 1909-1965. Now the Historic Landmark is dedicated to sharing stories, honoring memories, celebrating the rich Hispanic culture and history of Marfa.
Saturday - Sunday (12pm - 4pm)*
*Upon advance request and staff availability, the school may be opened for tours from 10am to 4pm on weekdays. Please contact the park directly at least one month in advance for all weekday tour requests.
Email blackwellschoolmarfa@gmail.com or call (432) 426-3224 ext 223.
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Central Marfa Historic District
The Central Marfa Historic District in Marfa was recently added to the National Register of Historic Places, the official listing of the nation’s places most worthy of preservation.
The newly listed district encompasses the city’s historic core, including 183 historically significant locations in Marfa. Current historic properties within the Historic District footprint include the 1886 Presidio County Courthouse, the Marfa and Presidio Museum, and another property listed on the National Register of Historic Places – the El Paisano Hotel.
The south section of the district retains building patterns and techniques associated with Mexican settlement in the border region, including numerous examples of adobe construction.
The district is also nationally known for its association with internationally renowned artist Donald Judd, whose work in Marfa led to the city’s identification as a cultural center and destination for art tourism, especially for modern art.
Judd preserved and adapted eleven district buildings for residential and working spaces, studios, galleries, and permanent installations of his and other prominent artists’ work. The exceptionally significant period of 1973-1994 begins with Donald Judd’s arrival in Marfa and spans the last two decades of his career.
Thanks are due to Judd Foundation and Chinati Foundation for spearheading the campaign to make this designation and the Texas Historical Commission for the distinction. -
Fort Davis National Historic Site
Fort Davis is one of the best surviving examples of an Indian Wars' frontier military post in the Southwest. From 1854 to 1891, Fort Davis was strategically located to protect emigrants, mail coaches, and freight wagons on the Trans-Pecos portion of the San Antonio-El Paso Road and on the Chihuahua Trail.
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Fort Leaton State Historic Site
Travelers in far West Texas stopped at Fort Leaton to buy supplies and fortify themselves for the rest of their journey. Explore the restored buildings and grounds to glimpse life on the border in the 1800s.
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Terlingua Ghost Town
Terlingua was a mining town around the turn of the century and was the site of the first famous championship chili cook off in 1967, that today draws over 10,000 “chili heads” from all over the world on the first Saturday every November. Terlingua is home to many artisans of craft goods as well as the remnants of the Chisos Mining Company town.
Museums
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Marfa and Presidio County Museum
The Marfa and Presidio County Museum tells the history of how this community, and the county at large, is the sum of its diverse and disparate elements, a lively interspersion of Hispanics and Anglos, art and ranching, good times and bad, beauty and isolation.
Monday - Saturday (1pm - 5pm)
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Marfa Holocaust and Historic Model Ship Museum
The European Jews of WWII, seeking safe haven in Palestine, set up a clandestine operation including more than 144 ships. Marfa Holocaust and Historic Model Ship Museum features one-of-a-kind, handmade, plank-on-frame models along with historic artifacts, documents, and books concerning the Aliyah Bet (Jewish “illegal immigration” ships). Other historic ships from Texas and around the world are also included in this collection. Call (361) 408-0106 to make an appointment.