Fort Worth's Historic Southside will soon be home to the National Juneteenth Museum
FORT WORTH — The Fort Worth neighborhood known as the Historic Southside was once a bustling center of black life culture and commerce in the city in the late 1800s and early 1900s.
The neighborhood fell into decline in the 60s when it was divided by the creation of I-35. But soon the Historic Southside will be the home of the National Juneteenth Museum. The team working to make the museum a reality says it's fitting that the museum will be placed here.
"This is going to be a catalytic project that's going to allow us to reinvigorate what once was and to see the glory of the Historic Southside again," said Jarred Howard, the CEO and lead developer of the National Juneteenth Museum.
Earlier this month, the National Juneteenth Museum hosted an event for their Uniting Voices speaker's series featuring award-winning historian Dr. Henry Louis Gates Jr.
"I actually know the day I became interested in genealogy," said Dr. Gates.
Ticket sales for the sold-out event will help fund the construction of the National Juneteenth Museum.
"We hope to have the new museum up and running in 2026 it's a really ambitious goal," said Howard.
The only thing standing in the way of that goal: $35 million. It'll cost $70 million to build. So far, they've raised half that amount.
"We want the museum to be solvent so we can be sustainable we won't put a shovel in the ground until we have the money to pay for it," said Howard.
The developers say when it opens, the museum will bring jobs and tourism to the community, and serve as a portal to our past.