Texas was a very different place 95 million years ago. Dinosaurs and crocodiles dominated a lush seacoast, and the place that would become Arlington sat in a swampy delta lowland where a rich menagerie of marine, amphibious, and land animals lived, interacted, and died. Nowhere has this fossil record been better preserved than at the Arlington Archosaur Site. Discovered in the early 2000s, this site has provided us an unparalleled glimpse into life here during the mid-Cretaceous geologic period.

Join us at the Fielder Museum to look back at a prehistoric era when a great inland seaway divided North America into two separate continents and the place where we live today was uniquely positioned to capture a rare and revealing snapshot of that time.

The Seashores of Ancient Arlington: A Rich Fossil Record will open July 21 and run through the end of September at the Fielder Museum. The exhibit will feature fossil displays along with a series of special presentations illustrating rich paleontological discoveries that have been made—and will be made—in the ground beneath us.

What: The Seashores of Ancient Arlington: A Rich Fossil Record
When: Opening Sunday July 21, then daily through Sunday September 29
Where: Fielder Museum, 1616 W. Abram St., Arlington, TX 76013

Allan Saxe, a beloved University of Texas at Arlington professor and prolific philanthropist, died at age 85 on June 18, 2024, the university announced.

"For nearly six decades, Allan Saxe has been a Maverick institution—one of our best known and most beloved professors," UT Arlington president Jennifer Cowley said in a statement. "He was engaging, smart, funny, and opinionated, and his classes were considered can't miss by generations of UT Arlington students."...  READ ARTICLE

The late-winter rains of 1885 had been heavy, and on March 15 rain continued to fall, putting Village Creek between Fort Worth and Arlington in a mood: out of its banks, running high, wide, and ruthless. A seventy-foot wooden bridge carried the Texas & Pacific railroad tracks over Village Creek. The bridge had been hastily built in 1876 in the rush to lay track west from Eagle Ford in Dallas County to Fort Worth. Writer Tom Marlin wrote in the Handley Herald in 2006 that although the bridge was only nine years old in 1885, it already needed to be repaired. Its unsafe condition had been reported to the railroad company by snipes...  READ ARTICLE

General Motors announced the acquisition of 255 acres for a potential future manufacturing or assembly operation in August 1951. It wasn't clear at the time if the site was envisioned for an automobile or defense-related operation, but at the groundbreaking ceremony on May 27, 1952, the plant was touted as GM's first dual-purpose plant, designed to be capable of producing military equipment, civilian automobiles, or a combination of both. Plans for aircraft production were abandoned in October 1952 and the plant...  READ ARTICLE

Geraldine Mills earlier in May received the prestigious World Changer Award from Arlington Baptist College, presented by Arlington Baptist President Clifton McDaniel. The award recognized Mills' consistent support of historical research at the university as the original site of the Top O' Hill Casino, which for many years made Arlington a highly successful (and illegal) gambling mecca in the South. (Photo by O.K. Carter)

Step through the gate of Knapp Heritage Park in downtown Arlington, and — if it’s your lucky day — you’ll be greeted by Nancy Tice and transported to another time, another way of life. An 1800s Texas pioneer way of life...  READ ARTICLE

When it first opened as the Dallas-Fort Worth Turnpike in 1957, it brought hopes of bringing cooperation between Dallas and Fort Worth, cities which had historically been rivals and oftentimes enemies. While Dallas and Fort Worth still maintained some rivalry in 2001, there was one thing everyone...  READ ARTICLE

A group of young students who recently visited the Fielder Museum and Knapp Heritage Park produced sketches of their impressions. Their wisdom, insight, and even humor serve to illustrate how young imaginations are fired by exposure to history and historical places. View or download the PDF linked below to view their artwork and read their reflections — and enjoy!

We’re excited to announce that the Texas Authors Book Club returns this fall. Sessions will be held monthly on the third Thursdays at Fielder Museum, from September to June, with a break in December for the holidays. Each month features a different book by a notable Texas author such as J. Frank Dobie, Larry McMurtry, Cormac McCarthy, and others. With an exciting mix of books, and each month alternating between nonfiction and fiction, there’s something for everyone. The Texas Authors Book Club is a collaboration between the Arlington Historical Society and the Arlington Public Library.

Books are not provided to participants, but are available at the Arlington Public Library, used bookstores, or online. Feel free to attend one or all the sessions!

Below are the scheduled dates and featured books. Sessions start at 6:30 PM.

• February 15: No Country for Old Men by Cormac McCarthy (fiction)
• March 21: The Great Plains by Walter Prescott Webb (nonfiction)
• April 18: The Which Way Tree by Elizabeth Crook (fiction)
• May 16: In a Narrow Grave by Larry McMurtry (nonfiction)
• June 20: The Gay Place by Billy Lee Brammer (fiction)

Caddos, Cotton and Cowboys: Essays on Arlington, Texas, takes readers on a journey through one of the most intriguing communities in the country. Located midway between Dallas and Fort Worth, Arlington is home to the Dallas Cowboys, Texas Rangers baseball team, the original Six Flags Over Texas and the sprawling University of Texas at Arlington. The journey begins with a besieged fort on the muddy banks of the Trinity River and follows Arlington as it transitions from a pioneer village. That 180-year journey includes big time gambling (some legal and some not), gangsters and gunfights, opportunistic capitalism and a mix of shrewd and lucky politics that transform the city -- now with 400,000 people -- to a sports, entertainment and higher education Mecca.

Pick up your copy at the Fielder Museum or online at AMAZON.COM!

Children from Saint Joseph's Catholic school are enjoying a day at Knapp Heritage Park. The children are learning what it was like to live in the pioneer days.