After discovering my ancestral connections to Dabney Hill Freedom Colony in Burleson County, Texas after I retired, I found myself busy again. The settlement, that lies along the Brazos River, was named in honor of Daniel Dabney who was born a slave in Virginia and brought to Texas twelve years before Emancipation. Dabney provided land that established the once self-sufficient, thriving freedom colony following Emancipation. Today, descendants face new threats of erasure along with a deteriorating historic church and masonic lodge. Having a background in communications and education and living in an urban community more than a three-hour drive away, I was oblivious of practices to preserve Black placemaking. Self-taught strategies of attending preservation conferences, genealogy classes, spending hours reading deed records in courthouse vaults, and even doing field work at a former Virginia plantation, helped me to develop a plan of action to commemorate the legacy of Dabney Hill. I also established a nonprofit organization and built partnerships to secure funding through both private and public sources. Although challenges persist, the vision to reimagine Dabney Hill as a space for community engagement remains.