Arlington Historical Society

AHS Bulletins

New Feature Article: Jonathan Bird's Fort: Birthplace of the DFW Metroplex

This new feature article, written by acclaimed Texas historian and author J.R. Edmonson, presents a well-researched account of Bird's Fort, the first Anglo settlement in what would become the DFW Metroplex.

Fort Worth journalist Mike Nichols writes in his Hometown by Handlebar blog:

Calloway Lake’s whispers tell us of the first white settlers in Tarrant County, of the “there goes the neighborhood” resentment of long-resident Native Americans, of death in the snow on a Christmas Day, of General Edward H. Tarrant and President Sam Houston and John Neely Bryan and a nascent settlement to the east called “Dallas.”

Oct182022

Songwriter Circle Series at Knapp Heritage Park

Join us at Knapp Heritage Park Wednesday nights in November and enjoy original music from talented regional songwriters in a relaxed, historical setting.

The series will run November 2, 9, 16, 23, and 30, and we hope to see you there!

More Info

Sep272022

New Article: Going Home to Arlington

How do you find a folksy town of 7,500 people 20 years later in a sprawling city of 110,000?

Texas Monthly has granted generous permission to allow AHS to reprint an outstanding 1974 article by the late Texan journalist Gary Cartwright. The article provides a snapshot within a snapshot of a very poignant homecoming.

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Arlington Heritage Memorial Grounds ENtrance

Aug232022

Major Grant Awarded

Arlington Heritage Memorial Grounds Corporation is very pleased to announce that Arlington Tomorrow Foundation has approved a grant in the amount of $90,000 for the continued improvement of the memorial grounds located on West Arkansas Lane in Arlington. Originally three separate cemeteries, the grounds represent a significant portion of the history of the City of Arlington. Improvements to the memorial grounds will support the education of AISD students, historians, descendants and visitors via QR codes that will be installed to tell the stories of individuals buried there.

The generous grant from Arlington Tomorrow Foundation will ensure that the history of the City of Arlington will be preserved and shared.

Much gratitude to the Board of Arlington Tomorrow Foundation for this significant expression of support.

New Facebook Group: Friends of Bird's Fort

The settlers christened the oxbow "Lake Sophia". They used the curvature of her eastern bank to establish their settlement in a position of natural defense against the Indian tribes that inhabited the area. The year was 1841, a significant one for the birth of what would become the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex. This initial fledgling settlement became known as Bird's Fort.

In 2022, the oxbow lake and it's immediate surroundings are one of the last vestiges of North Texas wilderness to remain relatively unchanged. It lies all but hidden in the heart of Arlington's bustling Viridian development. This place is, in every respect, the birthplace of DFW. It is one of the most historically significant sites in North Texas, and yet it is in grave danger of losing its historical identity, of disappearing altogether.

Our mission is to preserve the site as well as its history. Won't you join us?

Join on Facebook

AHS Venues

Fielder Museum

The historic Fielder Museum is home to the Arlington Historical Society and features themed exhibits and collections relating to the history and heritage of Arlington.

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Knapp Heritage Park

Knapp Heritage Park is home to three of Arlington's oldest structures and serves as a public cultural and heritage facility. The Park is available for school tours, rentals, and more.

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Arlington Heritage Memorial Grounds

The Arlington Heritage Memorial Grounds consists of three independently established cemeteries which serve as a monument to the history of Arlington and Tarrant County.

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Recent AHS Feature Articles

General Edward H. Tarrant and the Men Who Rode to Village Creek

The seventy men rode in the semblance of a military column through the north Texas prairie, the grass tall and still green from the spring rains. However, the men's clothing displayed no semblance of military uniform. They wore coats, vests, shirts, and breeches of homespun cotton or wool...

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