Providing a window into Arlington’s past.

Welcome to Arlington, a community that today ranks among the 48 most populous cities in the country, but which began life as a struggling and besieged frontier fort established when Texas was still a republic. Fifteen U.S. cities, towns and villages across the nation bear the name "Arlington," the largest of which in both area and population- as befits the bigger-in-Texas mode - resides in the Lone Star state.

With a population of more than 365,000 and spread across 100 square miles, Arlington is located precisely midway between Dallas and Fort Worth. In both population and area it has a unique distinction other than its 49-in-population standing. It is the largest "mid" city in America.

This website is designed to provide a window into Arlington's past. Two driving tours are mapped that locate sites and buildings from the days when trolleys ran down the middle of Abram Street (the Interurban line) and commerce centered around the old mineral well at the corner of Main and Center streets. In those days, there was a train depot downtown (also the site of a famed Old-West style shootout.) It was there that Arlington came into being with the arrival of the first train in 1876.

Sources & Credits

The City of Arlington Neighborhood Services Department and the Landmark Preservation Commission produced the content of this web site.

Thanks go to Dr. Richard Ferrier at the School of Architecture, University of Texas at Arlington, for his assistance in obtaining the participation of volunteer student Jan “Skip” Dawson; O. K. Carter, Fort Worth Star-Telegram (Arlington Edition), for his introductory comments; Sarah Barr, City of Arlington Design Communication Coordinator; George Moreno of Arlington Baptist College for assistance in computer layout design and photography; Landmark Preservation Commission members Martha Martin and Dorothy Rencurrel; and Special Collections, UTA Libraries for historical photographs from the Dunlop collection; and the Arlington Star-Telegram for Time Frames, “Mineral Well, (1892-1951),” 11-14-04.

Text sources include, among others, Arlington, Texas Birthplace of the Metroplex by Arista Joyner; Arlington Historic Resources Survey by Hardy-Heck-Moore, Inc.; Transitions: A Centennial History of The University of Texas at Arlington 1895-1995 by Gerald D. Saxon; the Star-Telegram (Arlington Edition) Outlook and Time Frames series; and Arlington-A Pictorial History by René Harris and Arista Joyner.

This project was funded in part by a CLG grant from the Texas Historical Commission and the City of Arlington.

Inquiries regarding landmark preservation designation and historic preservation should be made to the City of Arlington Neighborhood Services Department at 817-459-6777.

Many of the individual historical markers in Arlington are listed in this web site. Visit the Landmark Preservation Commission website for a complete listing with descriptive information and click on historic properties.

Sites and structures were selected for inclusion on the web site by the Landmark Preservation Commission, based on their historical significance to the city. No other endorsement or warranty is made or implied.

Please respect private residences and those sites that are not open to the public and view them from the street.