Arlington Historical Society: Connecting Past, Present, & Future

The Arlington Historical Society, originally called the Cemetery Society, was founded August 27, 1887, to promote, develop, and support the process of collecting and preserving documents, pictures, and historical information pertaining to the founding and growth of Arlington, Texas.

Today the Society remains dedicated to the preservation of local history while serving as caretaker of the historic Fielder House where we are headquartered, the Fielder Museum, the city's historic cemeteries, and the Knapp Heritage Park.

The Fielder Museum is located at 1616 W. Abram Street, Arlington, TX 76013, and is open 11AM to 3PM Tuesday through Saturday and other times by appointment. Admission is $5.00 for ages 12 and over, free for children under 12... LEARN MORE

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AHS Bulletins

The Lives of Lake Sophia

NEW HISTORY ARTICLE

The Lives of Lake Sophia

If she is labeled at all on today’s maps, she is labeled Calloway Lake. Many thousands of years before the first Europeans arrived, she was a mighty bend in a broader and wilder Trinity River, orphaned when the serpentine Trinity curled around and met itself three-quarters of a mile to the south where it flows today. This placid little oxbow lake would become the birthplace of the 4th largest metropolitan area in the U.S....  READ ARTICLE

The Seashores of Ancient Arlington: A Rich Fossil Record

EXHIBIT EXTENDED BY POPULAR DEMAND

The Seashores of Ancient Arlington: A Rich Fossil Record

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 regional 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: Daily through Thursday October 31 (Closed Sundays)
Where: Fielder Museum, 1616 W. Abram St., Arlington, TX 76013


NOTE: We encourage and welcome both adult and student groups to attend. For groups of six or more, please call ahead to ensure we have a docent on hand to narrate the exhibit and answer any questions your group may have. — (817) 460-4001


Art Sahlstein
Art Sahlstein, caretaker of the Arlington Archosaur Site, looks through the site’s sediment on July 25, 2024. (Drew Shaw | Arlington Report)

NEWS ARTICLE

Arlington Fossil Exhibit Showcases Tarrant County Dinosaurs, Community that Unearthed Them


On a routine early morning prayer walk through undeveloped fields near Viridian, Art Sahlstein felt God throw him a bone. Or, as Sahlstein puts it, “Lots of bones.” Those bones turned out to be thousands of dinosaur fossils shallowly buried under sediment. The discovery in 2003 would soon change his life and put Arlington on the international map as a one-of-a-kind fossil hub... READ ARTICLE

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

In Memoriam: Beloved UTA Professor, Philanthropist Allan Saxe (1939 - 2024)

In Memoriam: Beloved UTA Professor, Philanthropist Allan Saxe (1939 - 2024)

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

Texas & Pacific Engine 642: Next Stop, Oblivion

Texas & Pacific Engine 642: Next Stop, Oblivion

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

The Highways that Helped Make Arlington America's Mid-City, Part 2 of 3: SH-360 (Angus Wynne Freeway)

The Highways that Helped Make Arlington America's Mid-City, Part 2 of 3: SH-360 (Angus Wynne Freeway)

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

AHS Executive Director Honored by Arlington Baptist College

AHS Executive Director Honored by Arlington Baptist College

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)

Who Needs ‘Yellowstone’ Prequels? Step Back Into 1880s at Knapp Heritage Park

Who Needs ‘Yellowstone’ Prequels? Step Back Into 1880s at Knapp Heritage Park

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

The Highways that Helped Make Arlington America's Mid-City, Part 1 of 3: IH-30 (Tom Landry Highway)

The Highways that Helped Make Arlington America's Mid-City, Part 1 of 3: IH-30 (Tom Landry Highway)

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

Fielder Museum Temporarily Closed

Students Share Artworks and Insights After Visiting Fielder Museum and Knapp Heritage Park

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!

AHS Venues

Arlington Fielder House

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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Arlington Knapp Heritage Park

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

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 History Articles

The Lives of Lake Sophia

If she is labeled at all on today’s maps, she is labeled Calloway Lake. Many thousands of years before the first Europeans arrived, she was a mighty bend in a broader and wilder Trinity River, orphaned when...

READ ARTICLE

In Memoriam: Beloved UTA Professor, Philanthropist Allan Saxe (1939 - 2024)

Allan Saxe, a beloved University of Texas at Arlington professor and prolific philanthropist, died at age 85...

READ ARTICLE

Texas & Pacific Engine 642: Next Stop, Oblivion

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...

READ ARTICLE

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