Blackdom, New Mexico

Blackdom is a ghost town in Chaves County, New Mexico that was founded by African-American settlers in 1901 and abandoned in the mid-1920s.

Geography

The Blackdom site is located at coor dms|33|9|49|N|104|30|30|W|city (33.1636, -104.5083)GR|1, eight miles (13 km) west of Dexter, New Mexico and convert|18|mi|km|0 south of Roswell. The altitude is 3,638 feet (1,108 m).

History

The town was settled by Frank and Ella Boyer and Daniel Keyes, who wanted to establish a self-sufficient settlement for African-American settlers. They recruited homesteaders from Oklahoma, Texas, Mississippi, Ohio, and Georgia to live in the convert|15000|acre|km2|0 of Blackdom. Eventually 300 black settlers would make their homes in Blackdom. [cite news
last = Boyer Spiegel
first = Barbara
title = Blackdom
work = Adobe Moments
publisher = KSFR Radio
date = 2006-10-17
url = http://www.prx.org/pieces/14542
accessdate = 2007-01-16]

Blackdom was officially incorporated on December 5, 1911. A post office existed in Blackdom from 1913 to 1920, but declining water resources and drought forced the settlers to abandon the town, with many families moving to Vado, New Mexico. The Blackdom Baptist Church building was sold in the 1920s and moved to Cottonwood, where it is now a private home.

Remembering Blackdom

October 26, 2002, was proclaimed Blackdom Day by the governor of New Mexico, and a historical marker was erected at a rest stop on Highway 285, between Roswell and Artesia. Former Blackdom residents and descendants of settlers were on hand for the dedication ceremony. [cite news
last = Stark
first = Ryan
title = Blackdom historical marker dedicated during ceremony
publisher = Roswell Daily Record
date = 2002-10-27
url = http://www.roswell-record.com/archives/102702/news01.html
accessdate = 2007-01-16 ]

Local and state community leaders are working to establish a memorial site in or near Roswell to mark the existence of Blackdom. [cite news
last = Cunningham
first = Christopher
title = Push pays off for black-heritage site
publisher = Roswell Daily Record
date = 2005-04-13
url = http://www.roswell-record.com/archives/041305/news07.html
accessdate = 2007-01-16 ]

References

External links

* [http://www.soulofnewmexico.com/1846.html Soul of New Mexico article] on Frank Boyer; includes photographs of the Baptist church
* [http://www.huntel.com/~artpike/blackdo1.htm New Mexico Wanderings entry] on Blackdom, including historical photograph of a Blackdom farm
* [http://www.ghosttowns.com/states/nm/blackdom.html Ghost Towns.com entry] on Blackdom