Save the Alexander Family Farm from TXDOT Highway Expansion

Save the Alexander Family Farm from TXDOT Highway Expansion

2,450 have signed. Let’s get to 2,500!
Started

Why this petition matters

Started by Amy Vaughan

The Alexander Family Farm is a historic black-owned farm in Austin, Texas. It has been in operation since 1847, when Daniel Alexander, a talented racehorse trainer and breeder, purchased 73 acres of land through a verbal contract with his enslavers, the McKinney family. 174 years and seven generations later, the farm is still owned and operated by Daniel's descendants. The Alexanders are one of Austin's founding African American families, and their farm played an undeniable role in the development of the surrounding community and the city of Austin at large. 

In 1968, the Texas Department of Transportation (TXDOT) seized land from the Alexander farm and adjoining family cemetery through eminent domain when they rerouted Highway 183 over Route 2.

In 2019, TXDOT notified the family of its plans to expand the highway once again. If completed, this would take 400 feet of land away from the abutting properties, completely demolishing all but one of the structures on the homestead and uprooting countless graves of former slaves in the family cemetery.

The family is doing all it can to fight this eminent domain battle and are in the process of applying to the National Register of Historic Places with the hopes that being declared a historic landmark will protect their home and livelihood. In the meantime, this case is in desperate need of exposure and public support. Please sign and share this petition to signify your support of the Alexander family in their fight against TXDOT's highway expansion plan!

2,450 have signed. Let’s get to 2,500!