Start with dense marker clusters
- Downtown Arlington and civic sites
- Historic cemeteries and churches
- Old road corridors between Dallas and Fort Worth
- University and neighborhood markers
Tarrant County, Texas
Historical Markers in Arlington, Texas
Arlington sits between Dallas and Fort Worth, but its marker story is not just pass-through DFW history. The city connects early Tarrant County settlement, old road corridors, cemeteries, schools, neighborhoods, entertainment districts, and the transition from small community to major metro center. Preview the marker list before a drive so you can decide whether to focus on downtown Arlington, older cemetery and church sites, or a wider route between Fort Worth, Grapevine, and Dallas. Arlington has 49 official Texas Historical Commission markers in Tarrant County. The marker list includes records dating to 1936. Common marker themes include courthouse and civic history, churches, cemeteries, and community institutions, railroad, trail, and transportation history. Use this page to preview the markers, then open RoadHistorical on your drive to see nearby stops on the map, listen to narration, and save the places you want to visit.
Best starting areas in Arlington
Route ideas near Arlington
- Use Arlington as a midpoint on a Dallas-Fort Worth marker day.
- Pair Arlington with Fort Worth, Grapevine, or Dallas through the DFW historical markers hub.
What you will find in Arlington
- Courthouse and civic history
- Churches, cemeteries, and community institutions
- Railroad, trail, and transportation history
- Ranching, farming, and frontier settlement
- Military, battle, and Texas Revolution sites
Plan with RoadHistorical
Open the Texas historical marker map
Find Arlington markers in map context, then scan nearby Texas cities before you drive.
Plan a Texas history road trip
Turn Arlington marker clusters into a route with city stops, saved places, and Discovery Mode.
Use the Texas historical markers app
Use RoadHistorical on iPhone or Android to find nearby Arlington markers, listen, and save stops.
DFW historical marker hub
Use the DFW hub to connect Arlington with nearby North Texas marker cities and routes.
General Edward H. Tarrant · 1936
In this vicinity May 24, 1841 General Edward H. Tarrant with 70 men attacked several indian villages situated along a creek (now called Village Creek) and recovered many horses and much stolen plunder. 12 Indians were…
View on map ↗Middleton Tate Johnson · 1936
The Father of Tarrant County. A member of the Congress of the Republic. Born in South Carolina, 1810. Died at Austin, Texas, May 15, 1866. Johnson County was named in his honor.
View on map ↗Site of Bird's Fort · 1936
Established in 1840 by Jonathan Bird on the Military Road from Red River to Austin. In its vicinity an important Indian treaty, marking the line between the Indians and the white settlements, was signed September 29,…
View on map ↗J. D. Cooper House · 1965
Built 1878 by J.D. Cooper, early landowner. Colonial design with square nails, wide board floors. Moved here by City. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark, 1965.
View on map ↗Cable Tool Rig · 1966
Drilled the early deep oil wells in Texas. Derrick here is exact replica and has same rigging and tools used in 1920 to drill the Crowley No. 1, a 250-barrel producer at 3500 feet--one of deepest wells up to the time.…
View on map ↗Carousel · 1966
Made popular in Texas by traveling shows and carnivals. Arrival of a horse-drawn carousel in a town was a great event. Rides to tunes of the calliope helped to celebrate townsite openings, completions of railroads,…
View on map ↗Narrow Gauge Railway · 1966
Economical to build, operate and maintain, many narrow gauge railroads were running in Texas between 1853 and 1900. Some were "Taps" (for towns off the main line); some logging roads, going deep into woods and swamps.…
View on map ↗The Six Flags over Texas · 1966
Flags of six different countries have been raised over Texas. In 1519 the land was claimed for Spain, whose explorers came later in search of silver and gold, but found buffalo, Indians and mirages. They planted the red…
View on map ↗Jesse Chisholm · 1967
Founder of World-Famous Cattle Trail Jesse Chisholm (1805-1868) Represented the Republic of Texas and President Sam Houston in many negotiations with Indians. Half Scotsman, half Cherokee, a scout, hunter, trader and…
View on map ↗Site of Arlington Downs Racetrack · 1978
Wealthy rancher and oilman W. T. Waggoner (1852-1934) developed a stable of fine Thoroughbreds and quarter horses at his ranch here in the 1920s. At this site he built Arlington Downs, a one-and-one quarter mile race…
View on map ↗Fielder House · 1979
Local landowner and community leader James Park Fielder (d. 1948) and his wife Mattie (Barnes) (d. 1950) erected this house in 1914, using steel lathing and other innovative techniques. The brick Prairie style structure…
View on map ↗Marrow Bone Spring · 1979
An Indian habitat in the 1700s or earlier, Marrow Bone Spring in 1843 was visited by President Sam Houston's envoys seeking peace. A trading post licensed by the Texas Republic opened in 1845 near the Spring. Hiram…
View on map ↗North Side School · 1979
After Arlington's North Side School at 433 North Center burned in 1909, this board and batten structure was built on the school grounds. Two grades met here for one term until a new brick building was erected.…
View on map ↗P.A. Watson Cemetery · 1979
Mrs. Micajah Goodwin was buried here in 1846, soon after her family came to this area. They constructed a coffin from their wagon bed and burned brush atop the grave to hide it from Indians. When Patrick Alfred Watson…
View on map ↗P.A. Watson Log House · 1979
After his wife Margaret Ann (Armstrong) died, Patrick Alfred Watson (1810-1894) built this dwelling in 1855 near present Arlington for their six children. In 1858 he married Margaret's niece Mary Jane Donaldson and they…
View on map ↗Jopling-Melear Log Cabin · 1980
George Washington Jopling (1833-1903) erected this log cabin in 1863 in the Johnson Station Community for his wife Catherine (Thomas) (1837-1882) and their large family. A farmer, cattleman, and cotton gin owner,…
View on map ↗Site of Bird's Fort · 1980
(One mile east) In an effort to attract settlers to the region and to provide protection from Indian raids, Gen. Edward H. Tarrant of the Republic of Texas Militia authorized Jonathan Bird to establish a settlement and…
View on map ↗Village Creek · 1980
Archeological excavations along the course of this Trinity River tributary have unearthed evidence of several prehistoric villages. Artifacts from the area date back almost 9,000 years and represent a culture of…
View on map ↗Handley Cemetery · 1981
This burial ground originally served the pioneer settlers of the Handley Community, which developed here soon after the Texas and Pacific Railroad built a line to the area in 1876. The earliest marked grave is that of…
View on map ↗Site of Berachah Home and Cemetery · 1981
The Berachah Rescue Society was organized at Waco in 1894 by the Rev. J. T. Upchurch (b. 1870) for the protection of homeless girls and unwed mothers. Nine years later he opened the Berachah Industrial Home at this…
View on map ↗Tate Springs Baptist Church · 1981
Prior to the formation of area churches, worship services were conducted at camp meetings on Village Creek. On Feb. 5, 1882, ten local residents met to organize the Tate Springs Baptist Church. Presiding over the…
View on map ↗First Baptist Church of Arlington · 1982
In the 1870s this church was organized at Johnson Station, an early Tarrant County settlement and stagecoach stop. In 1876 the Texas and Pacific Railroad built a line through the area and founded Arlington. The church…
View on map ↗Gibbins Cemetery and Homestead Site · 1982
James Gibbins (1817-70) migrated to Texas from Arkansas in 1857. He bought land near present-day Arlington in 1863. Gibbins deeded part of this land to his son Thomas Jefferson Gibbins (1841-91), who enlarged the…
View on map ↗Hutcheson-Smith Home · 1982
Built about 1896, this residence reflects influences of the Queen Anne style, including gingerbread trim. It is located on land owned in the 1890s by I.L. Hutcheson, a pioneer merchant of the Arlington area, and his son…
View on map ↗Tomlin Cemetery · 1982
This cemetery was first used in the 1870s by the Wilkinsons, a pioneer family whose graves are marked by clusters of rock. Members of the Angel family are also buried here. The oldest dated gravestone is that of…
View on map ↗First United Methodist Church of Arlington · 1984
This congregation was established soon after the Texas and Pacific Railroad line was laid through Arlington. In 1877 the Rev. J.T. L. Annis was appointed pastor of the Arlington circuit, which served several area…
View on map ↗Sloan-Journey Expedition of 1838 · 1984
In the spring of 1838, Captains Robert Sloan and Nathaniel T. Journey led a group of about 90 northeast Texas frontiersmen on a punitive expedition against the Indians who had raided their homes in present-day Fannin…
View on map ↗Johnson Station Cemetery · 1986
Now part of Arlington, this area was established in the 1840s as a ranger station and trading post known as Johnson Station. This cemetery serves as a reminder of that early settlement. The oldest marked grave in the…
View on map ↗Tate Cemetery · 1986
Evan Calloway Tate (1832-1885) brought his family to this area from Georgia in 1870, establishing the Tate Springs community. Land for this cemetery was deeded to the community by Tate heirs in 1894. At that time there…
View on map ↗Woods Chapel Baptist Church · 1989
On April 28, 1901, a group of worshippers gathered together in a brush arbor to organize a church congregation. Led by the Rev. Washington Lafayette Wood, a missionary who had arrived in Tarrant County from Alabama in…
View on map ↗Arlington Cemetery · 1993
Encompassing more than ten acres of land, Arlington Cemetery includes within its borders several small historic graveyards, including the original old cemetery of Arlington, the W. W. McNatt Cemetery addition, the…
View on map ↗First Christian Church · 1993
This congregation traces its origin to a small group of Christians gathered together by the Rev. William H. Wright in the young town of Arlington in 1882. In its first century it has involved into one of Arlington's…
View on map ↗The University of Texas at Arlington · 1994
Tracing its history to a series of private schools and military academies, The University of Texas at Arlington has grown with the community to become one of the area's most important public institutions. Arlington…
View on map ↗Mount Olive Baptist Church · 1997
A small group of African American Tarrant County residents, led by the Rev. Mr. Squires, organized Mount Olive Baptist Church in the summer of 1897. Originally located on Indiana Street, the church moved to a new white…
View on map ↗Rehoboth Cemetery · 1997
The Rehoboth Cemetery began in 1871 with the burial of infant Mary Miller. The cemetery served the community of Sublett, named after John Sublett. The town consisted of a school, post office and church. The one-room…
View on map ↗Douglass-Potts House · 1999
Built in 1907 by local contractor Joe O. Crawley, this was the home of city marshall (later chief of police) Wilson M. ("Bud") Douglass and his wife Clara (Ramsey). The cottage was constructed on land formerly owned by…
View on map ↗Friday House · 1999
In 1923, Marion and Willie Maybelle Friday purchased 112.5 acres including this site on which to build a home and pursue their love of farming. Mr. Friday was a civil engineer who built waterways and sewer systems in…
View on map ↗Emmanuel Church of God in Christ · 2003
In the heart of Arlington's historic African American community, "The Hill," local residents came together as early as 1895 to form a community church at this site. Known at different times as the Church of God in…
View on map ↗Top O' Hill Terrace · 2003
Top O' Hill Terrace Beulah Adams Marshall bought land here along the Bankhead Highway in the early 1920s and opened a tea room, hosting teas and serving dinners to Dallas and Fort Worth patrons. In 1926, Fred and Mary…
View on map ↗City of Arlington · 2005
The city of Arlington developed along the juncture of two distinct ecological regions, the Blackland Prairie and the Eastern Cross Timbers. The West Fork of the Trinity River and its area tributaries flow through the…
View on map ↗The Hill · 2006
A roughly five-block area of Arlington known as "The Hill" was the only addition specifically set aside for the city's African American residents. In the 1890s, the community began developing on land that once belonged…
View on map ↗Andrew Hayter · 2009
Reverend Andrew Shannon Hayter (1818-1900) was one of the earliest settlers in this area, and is considered by many to be the "Father of Arlington." A native of Tennessee, Hayter left Alabama with his family in late…
View on map ↗Colonel Neel E. Kearby · 2009
Neel E. Kearby was born in Wichita Falls on June 5, 1911 to Dr. John Gallatin Kearby, Jr. and Bessie Lee (Stone) Kearby. He spent much of his childhood in Mineral Wells, but later moved to Arlington, graduating from…
View on map ↗Booker T. Washington School · 2010
SERVING THE AFRICAN-AMERICAN STUDENTS OF ARLINGTON, BOOKER T. WASHINGTON SCHOOL WAS A VITAL INSTITUTION IN THE CITY. IT HAD ITS ROOTS IN ARLINGTON’S FIRST BLACK SCHOOL, WHICH WAS IN PLACE BY THE 1890s. THE SCHOOL SERVED…
View on map ↗Carver Dixon King · 2010
Born on May 18, 1843 in Tennessee, C.D. "Uncle Dutch" King was an early leader in Arlington. He moved to Texas in 1873 and became Arlington's first mayor shortly after the town was established in 1876; he again served…
View on map ↗John A. Kooken Elementary School · 2010
Arlington's North Side School opened in 1907 at the corner of Sanford and Center streets. Grades one through seven attended the new school. The building was destroyed by fire in 1909, and students met temporarily in a…
View on map ↗Bankhead Highway Through Arlington · 2011
THE BANKHEAD HIGHWAY, OFTEN REFERRED TO LOCALLY AS THE “DALLAS PIKE” EAST OF CENTER STREET AND THE “FORT WORTH PIKE” WEST OF THAT ROAD, PLAYED AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN ARLINGTON’S FUTURE BY CONNECTING IT TO DALLAS, FORT…
View on map ↗Hawkins Cemetery · 2015
Named for Harvey Hawkins (1804-1869), a pioneer settler who came to Texas from Tennessee and first settled in Rusk County, the Hawkins Cemetery is the final resting place for families of the Tate Springs community. In…
View on map ↗Arlington Texas & Pacific Depot and Platform · 2021
marker pending
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