Blackland Experiment Station, Substation No. 5
Temple, Bell County, Texas
Marker Inscription
BLACKLAND EXPERIMENT STATION, SUBSTATION NO. 5 THE TEXAS LEGISLATURE AUTHORIZED BLACKLAND EXPERIMENT STATION, SUBSTATION NO. 5 IN 1909. THE TEXAS AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION SYSTEM WAS CREATED AFTER THE 1887 HATCH ACT AUTHORIZED FEDERALLY-SUPPORTED EXPERIMENT STATIONS AS PART OF STATE LAND-GRANT COLLEGES. AFTER OPENING IN 1911, THE STATION, STAFFED BY TEXAS A&M SCIENTISTS, WAS CHARGED WITH CONDUCTING RESEARCH ON VARIED SOIL AND CROP PROBLEMS, WITH A SPECIAL FOCUS ON THE CONTROL OF COTTON ROOT ROT. TEMPLE’S LOCATION NEAR THE JUNCTION OF THE ROLLING UPLAND HILLS OF THE GRAND PRAIRIE AND THE FERTILE, BLACK WAXY SOIL OF THE BLACKLAND PRAIRIE MADE IT AN IDEAL LOCATION FOR THE RESEARCH FACILITY. THE TEMPLE SUBSTATION WAS TYPICAL FOR ITS TIME, AND CONSISTED OF A FARM STAFFED BY A SUPERINTENDENT, A RESEARCHER WITH A COLLEGE DEGREE AND A FEW FARM LABORERS. THE SITE ALSO INCLUDED LIVING QUARTERS, LIVESTOCK AND ESSENTIAL FARM EQUIPMENT. WITH ADVANCEMENTS IN MECHANIZED FARMING, ADDITIONAL ACREAGE WAS REQUIRED FOR THE SUBSTATION, AND IT WAS RELOCATED TO A 542-ACRE SITE ON THE SOUTHEAST EDGE OF TEMPLE IN 1927. THE ENLARGED SITE ALLOWED FOR BROADER RESEARCH ON EROSION PREVENTION. IN 1929, THE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE (USDA) ASSIGNED SCIENTISTS WHO IN SUBSEQUENT YEARS JOINTLY, AND AT TIMES, SOLELY MANAGED THE SITE. IN 1973, THE USDA’S GRASSLAND, SOIL AND WATER RESEARCH LABORATORY WAS ESTABLISHED AND ALLOWED FOR INCREASED STATE AND FEDERAL RESEARCH COLLABORATION THAT CONTINUES TODAY. IN JANUARY 2008 THE FACILITY’S NAME WAS CHANGED TO TEXAS AGRILIFE RESEARCH, BLACKLAND RESEARCH AND EXTENSION CENTER. THE RESEARCH CONDUCTED AT THE FACILITY EVOLVES ALONG WITH AGRICULTURAL TECHNOLOGY, ENABLING SUSTAINED SERVICE TO THE REGION. 175 YEARS OF TEXAS INDEPENDENCE * 1836-2011
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Authorized by the Texas Legislature in 1909 and opened in 1911, this experiment station near Temple was part of a national system of federally supported research farms created by the 1887 Hatch Act. Staffed by Texas A&M scientists, it tackled the region's soil and crop problems—especially the dreaded cotton root rot—from a site poised between the Grand Prairie's hills and the rich Blackland soils. As farming mechanized it expanded, drew in USDA scientists, and evolved into today's Blackland Research and Extension Center.
Why it matters
It illustrates how land-grant colleges and federal partnership turned agriculture into a science, steadily raising farm productivity across the American South.
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Related events
- · Hatch Act of 1887
Themes & tags
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