Timeline of Arlington, Texas

The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Arlington, Texas, USA.

Prior to 20th century

 * 1542 – Spanish explorers make camp in an Indian Village named Guasco at current-day Dottie Lynn Pkwy.
 * 1838 – Robert Sloan and Nathaniel T. Journey lead an expedition into present-day Euless and Arlington that was recorded as one of the first Anglo-American efforts to open the area to settlement.
 * 1841 –
 * General Edward H. Tarrant leads the Battle of Village Creek, killing many Native American people who called Village Creek their home.
 * Captain Jonathan Bird creates Bird's Fort on the north side of present-day Arlington, Anglo-American's first attempt to settle in north Texas.
 * 1843 – Treaty of Bird's Fort, a peace treaty between Native Americans and the Republic of Texas opens the door to settlement in the entire region.
 * 1848 – "Father of Tarrant County" Colonel Middleton Tate Johnson's Company of Texas Rangers is assigned to Kaufman Station, later known as Johnson Station.
 * 1853 – Patrick A. Watson and a group of settlers arrive and settle on land that now borders the present Watson Road.
 * 1869 – Reverend Andrew Shannon Hayter arrives and organizes the Good Hope Cumberland Presbyterian Church.
 * 1870 – Colonel Middleton Tate Johnson's body is exhumed from Texas State Cemetery and buried in a family cemetery on Arkansas Lane.
 * 1871 –
 * United States Congress approved a charter for a transcontinental railroad, including Arlington, Texas.
 * Elder John Quarles Burnett meets with 17 fellow Baptists and organizes the first church in Johnson Station - Johnson Station Baptist Church.
 * 1873 – Settlement founded near site of present-day city.
 * 1876 –
 * Texas and Pacific Railway established a stop mid-way between Dallas and Fort Worth in present-day Arlington.
 * The town situated around the train stop is named "Hayterville" after Rev. Andrew Shannon Hayter.
 * Carver Dixon "Uncle Dutch" King becomes the first mayor of Arlington.
 * Johnson Station Baptist Church moves with the community three miles north, eventually becoming known as First Baptist Church of Arlington.
 * 1877 –
 * Settlement renamed "Arlington" (previously known as "Johnson" or "Hayter") at Rev. Hayter's request.
 * Arlington, Texas is officially recognized by the United States Postal Service.
 * 1878 -
 * A group of Methodists meet in Schults' lumberyard at Mesquite and Front Streets and organize the first church congregation in Arlington's original township.
 * Arlington landowner James Daniel Cooper builds a majestic colonial house on the corner of what is now Cooper St. and Abram St.
 * 1880 – U.S. Census shows a population of 275 people with eight general merchants, three drug stores, a lumber dealer, two physicians, a hotel keeper, a saloon operator and various other occupations including farming.
 * 1881 – M. J. Brinson becomes mayor for the first time.
 * 1883 – William Timmerman and Colonel Thomas Spruance establishes the city's first newspaper called "The World."
 * 1884 – Arlington officially incorporates as a city.
 * 1885 –
 * Edward Emmett Rankin becomes mayor for just a month.
 * First church building in Arlington is built.
 * 1887 – Cemetery Society (later Arlington Historical Society) founded.
 * 1889 – M. J. Brinson becomes mayor for the second time.
 * 1891 – Rice Wood Collins, a successful merchant, starts public well campaign for access to water.
 * 1892 - “Christmas Eve Massacre” gunfight leaves four men and a horse dead on Main Street near the rail station.
 * 1893 -
 * The original mineral well is drilled by a wood-powered steam engine.
 * McKinley-Woodward Home is built by Jesse Stanley McKinley, Arlington's first hardware merchant at 400 E. First. One of the oldest structures in the city.
 * Arlington's first newspaper "The World" is renamed to "The Arlington Democrat."
 * 1895 – The city well becomes an official corner point for the city's four new political wards. The well was a focal point for political rallies, parades, cotton sales and the mineral water itself.
 * 1896 –
 * William W. McNatt, a merchant and farmer, sells a portion of his farm to sell lots for burial. Many Arlington pioneers are buried thereafter.
 * Hutchison-Smith Home is built on 312 N. Oak, once owned by I. L. Hutchison, Arlington merchant and pioneer.
 * 1897
 * Arlington Journal newspaper begins publication, changing its name from "The Arlington Democrat."
 * Mount Olive Baptist congregation formed.
 * 1899 – Carver Dixon King becomes mayor for a second term lasting only two months.
 * 1900 –
 * William C. Weeks becomes mayor.
 * Population: 1,079.

20th century

 * 1902 –
 * Thomas Benton Collins becomes mayor of Arlington.
 * North Texas Regional Interurban railway begins operating.
 * Carlisle Military Academy established.
 * Arlington residents vote for the town to remain dry.
 * 1903 –
 * Texas Legislative Act created the Arlington ISD. Local schools are taken over by the City of Arlington from Carlisle Military Academy.
 * Southwestern Bell establishes service here.
 * Berachah Industrial Home for the Redemption of Erring Girls opens.
 * 1904 –
 * T. G. Bailey becomes mayor.
 * The city forms its first high school, and grades 8-11 met at South Side School.
 * Texas & Pacific Railroad Depot is built.
 * 1905 – First high school class graduates in Arlington
 * 1906 –
 * William C. Weeks becomes mayor again.
 * W. A. Thornton Home is built at 719 W. Abram, the first home in Arlington with gas lights.
 * Ghormley-Arnold Home is built at 404 E. First for Dr. W. I. Ghormley.
 * 1907 –
 * Centenary Methodist Episcopal Church South, the first brick church opens on the N.E. corner of Center and Division Streets.
 * Douglass-Potts Home located on 206 W. North is built.
 * Vaught Home at 718 W. Abram is built for T. J. Trammell and purchased by Alex Vaught.
 * 1909 –
 * James Park Fielder Sr. becomes mayor for a short two months.
 * Dr. William Harold Davis becomes mayor after Fielder.
 * 1910 –
 * Alton C. Barnes becomes mayor.
 * The Commercial Club funds construction of a new mineral well where water flows through lions' heads mounted on a four-sided structure.
 * Population: 1,794.
 * 1911 – Masonic Home for Aged Masons opens, now known as Texas Masonic Retirement Center.
 * 1912 – Rufus H. Greer becomes mayor of Arlington for the first time.
 * 1913 – John M. Elliott Home at 1210 W. Abram is built, an example of a hipped roof bungalow with classical influences.
 * 1914 – Historic Fielder House at 1616 W. Abram is built by prominent banker James Park Fielder.
 * 1915 – P.F. McKee becomes mayor.
 * 1916 –
 * Rufus H. Greer becomes mayor of Arlington for the second time.
 * South Center Street Historic District is planned out by William Rose, housing the city's earliest merchants and craftsmen.
 * Mayor William H., & Ollie Gibbins Rose Home at 501 S. Center is built as the first addition to South Center Street Historic District.
 * 1917 –
 * Arlington Military Academy becomes Grubbs Vocational College.
 * Zachary Slaughter opens the city's first car dealership.
 * Slaughter-Geer Home is built by Zack Slaughter for his father and stepmother at 505 S. Center.
 * Wylie F. Altman opens the Altman Ladies Store in Arlington.
 * 1918 - Historic Dickerson Home at 400 N. Pecan is built by Martin Luther Dickerson, a cotton broker in Arlington and Ft. Worth.
 * 1919 –
 * William H. Rose becomes mayor, bringing with him progression such as city audits, ordinances, the first sidewalks, a modern water system and new businesses.
 * Ransom Hall is built on Grubbs Vocational College campus at 602 S. West as the first administration building.
 * 1920 –
 * Population: 3,031.
 * Arlington adopts a home rule city charter.
 * 1921 –
 * The highway from Dallas to Arlington is widened and carries interstate traffic through the center of the city.
 * Pulley Home on 201 E. North is built, exemplifying the asymmetrical bungalow architectural style.
 * 1922 –
 * Arlington High School built on Cooper St. and Abram St, the first official high school in AISD.
 * Tarrant County starts the first public library in Arlington.
 * 1923 –
 * William Green Hiett becomes mayor of Arlington for the first time, during which the first paved roads were built.
 * Grubbs Vocational College changes name to North Texas Agricultural College.
 * Arlington Cemetery Association is chartered, taking care of Arlington Cemetery.
 * 1924 –
 * Meadowbrook Park opens as the first park in Arlington.
 * Eastern Star Home is built to provide a home for aged and infirm members of the Eastern Star Organization in Texas at 1201 E. Division.
 * 1925 - Hugh Moore becomes mayor of Arlington for a year.
 * 1926 –
 * Elmer L. Taylor becomes mayor for a year.
 * Top O' Hill Terrace changes ownership and converts facilities into an illegal casino.
 * 1927 – William Green Hiett becomes mayor of Arlington for the second time.
 * 1928 –
 * The first car showroom is opened by the Thannisch Chevrolet Company on the edge of downtown.
 * Construction for the Cooper Hotel begins at 300 N. Center.
 * Preston Hall at 604 S. West is built as a science hall by North Texas Agriculture College.
 * Old Mayor's House at 814 E. Abram is built by cattle broker Dave Martin, once owned by B. C. & Francine Barnes.
 * 1929 –
 * Arlington Downs horse-racing track opens.
 * The Cooper Hotel celebrates its grand opening.
 * W. J. Pulley opens Pulley Footwear.
 * 1930 – U.S. Census shows Arlington population at 3,700.
 * 1931 – John H. Pilant becomes mayor.
 * 1932 – O.S. Gray founded a pecan nursery on West Division Street. He develops and makes five varieties of pecan trees.
 * 1933 –
 * W.L. Barrett becomes mayor of Arlington.
 * Texas state legislature grants Arlington Downs the first legal parimutuel betting permit.
 * 1934 – Arlington Citizen newspaper begins publication.
 * 1935 – Wylie F. Altman becomes mayor through World War II.
 * 1936 – Berachah Industrial Home for the Redemption of Erring Girls reopens as an orphanage called Berachah Child Institute.
 * 1937 –
 * Arlington Downs is sold to commercial developers due to the repeal of betting laws.
 * North Side School opens, now known as Kooken Elementary School.
 * 1938 –
 * The interurban rail line serving Arlington ceases operations on Christmas Eve.
 * T.W. (Hooker) Vandergriff purchases the Thannisch Chevrolet Company building and becomes the Thannisch-Vandergriff Bldg.
 * 1939 – Arlington Post Office is built by the Federal Works Agency on 200 W. Main St, now the Worthington National Bank Building.
 * 1940 – Population: 4,240.
 * 1941 – Mural Gathering Pecans by Otis Dozier is painted in the Arlington Post Office building.
 * 1942 – Berachah Child Institute orphanage ceases operations.
 * Tom J. Vandergriff, Arlington's future revolutionary mayor, graduates from Arlington High School.
 * 1947 –
 * B.C. Barnes becomes mayor of Arlington.
 * Texas Rangers police bust the Top O' Hill Terrace illegal casino and speakeasy and shut it down permanently.
 * Cosden Petroleum facility and St. Albans Episcopal Church opens.
 * 1949 –
 * The city adopts the city manager form of government.
 * North Texas Agricultural College changes name to Arlington State College.
 * 1950 –
 * Arlington Music Hall opens, originally as a walk-in theater.
 * Colonial Apartments opens (approximate date).
 * Population: 7,692.
 * 1951 –
 * Tom Vandergriff becomes mayor.
 * The city's famous well on Main and Center is capped permanently under the intersection's pavement due to increased traffic.
 * 1952 –
 * Sister city relationship established with Bad Königshofen, Germany.
 * Grace Lutheran church opens.
 * Texas & Pacific Railroad Depot is demolished.
 * James Daniel Cooper's historical house is donated to the city and relocated to Meadowbrook Park, serving as a library.
 * 1953 – The city takes over the public library from Tarrant County.
 * 1954 –
 * General Motors Corporation plant opens.
 * Berry Elementary School opens.
 * 1955 – J.C. Penney and Sears chain stores in business.
 * 1956 –
 * American Can Company plant opens.
 * Arlington Baptist College opens on the property of the old speakeasy Top O' Hill Terrace.
 * Arlington High School moves to its second location on Park Row and Cooper.
 * Old Arlington High School building becomes Ousley Jr. High
 * Thornton Elementary School opens.
 * 1957 – Dallas-Fort Worth Turnpike opens.
 * 1958 –
 * Arlington Downs is completely destroyed by commercial developers.
 * Vandergriff family donates land that becomes Arlington Memorial Hospital
 * 1959 – The first candidates for a four-year bachelor's degree enroll at Arlington State College.
 * 1960 – Population: 44,775.
 * 1961 –
 * City Hall opens.
 * Six Flags Over Texas opens.
 * Six Arlington High girls plunge off a bridge in what is now River Legacy Park, tragically killing half and sparking an urban legend called "The Screaming Bridge."
 * 1962 –
 * Public Library opens.
 * Cooper House is leased to the Arlington Woman's Club who refurbished and maintained the home.
 * 1963 –
 * Silver Star Carousel debuts at Six Flags Over Texas, originally crafted in 1920s Philadelphia.
 * Sam Houston High School opens.
 * 1964 -
 * Arlington Municipal Airport opens.
 * Speelunker Cave opens as Six Flags Over Texas's first dark ride.
 * Meadowbrook Recreation Center is built on the northern edge of Meadowbrook Park.
 * 1965 –
 * Turnpike Stadium opens.
 * Dottie Lynn and Church Women United throw the first Annual 4 July parade.
 * Vandergriff Chapel is built.
 * Cooper House is designated as a Texas Historical Landmark. SFOT-Mine Train.jpg
 * 1966 –
 * Park Plaza Cinema opens.
 * Runaway Mine Train coaster is built at Six Flags Over Texas.
 * Thannisch-Vandergriff Bldg. closes as a car dealership after 38 years.
 * 1967 – Arlington State College becomes the modern University of Texas at Arlington.
 * 1968 – AISD sells the old Arlington High School/Ousley Jr. High building to UTA, and the School of Social Work opens.
 * 1970 –
 * Forum 303 Mall and Six Flags Mall open.
 * Arlington Genealogical Society formed.
 * Lamar High School opens.
 * Population: 90,643.
 * 1972 –
 * Texas Rangers baseball team based in city.
 * Seven Seas Marine Life Park opens.
 * 1973 –
 * The Central Library moves to its first Abram Street location.
 * Theatre Arlington opens.
 * Bowie High School opens.
 * 1974 –
 * Dallas/Fort Worth Regional Airport opens.
 * Cheryl Calloway is found stabbed to death in the parking lot of Forum 303 Mall, one of Arlington's more infamous cold cases.
 * 1977 - S.J. Stovall becomes mayor of Arlington, forming the organization Leadership Arlington during his term.
 * 1976 – A monument for the famous Central St. Well is created in front of the Central Library.
 * 1979 – The Oakridge School opens.
 * 1980 –
 * University of Texas at Arlington's Maverick Stadium open.
 * Fielder House Museum opens.
 * Population: 160,113.
 * Judge Roy Scream opens as SFOT's first wooden rollercoaster.
 * 1981 –
 * Texas Historical Marker is installed and dedicated at Berachah Child Institute.
 * Pantera is formed by Arlington teenagers Vinnie Abbott, Darrell Abbott, Terry Glaze, Tommy Bradford and Donnie Hart.
 * 1982 –
 * Martin High School opens.
 * Texas Commerce Bank becomes the tallest building in the city.
 * 1983 –
 * Harold E. Patterson becomes mayor.
 * Islamic Society Of Arlington founded.
 * Bowie High School closes its original building on Arbrook Boulevard and becomes Workman Junior High School as a result.
 * 1985 –
 * Silver Star Carousel is removed from Six Flags Over Texas for a major restoration.
 * Joe Barton becomes U.S. representative for Texas's 6th congressional district.
 * 1987 –
 * Richard Greene becomes mayor, increasing funding for police and fire departments, developed plans for a new Texas Rangers ballpark, and led road construction programs.
 * 1988 –
 * River Legacy Foundation, a nonprofit 501 (c)(3), is formed as a public/private partnership with City of Arlington Parks and Recreation Department.
 * Silver Star Carousel opens back up at Six Flags Over Texas's park gate plaza, where it still operates.
 * The Parks at Arlington opens.
 * 1989 – Mount Olive Baptist Church is rebuilt at 402 N. West St.
 * 1990 –
 * Population: 261,721.
 * Texas Giant opens at Six Flags over Texas, the tallest wooden rollercoaster in the world at the time.
 * Elzie Odom becomes the first African-American elected to the Arlington City Council.
 * 1991 –
 * Tom J. Vandergriff is induced into the Texas Rangers Baseball Hall of Fame.
 * S.J. Stovall Park Park opens at 2800 West Sublett Road.
 * Bowie High School reopens and relocates on Highbank Drive.
 * 1992 -
 * Speelunker Cave at Six Flags Over Texas is replaced by dark ride Yosemite Sam & the Gold River adventure based on the Looney Tunes characters.
 * The Witness Tree, an old post oak on the old Bardin Farm that grew to be 60 feet tall, is uprooted by Kmart and transplanted, where it later dies.
 * 1993 –
 * The commercial tree preservation ordinance is adopted by City Hall following outcry over the Witness Tree's uprooting.
 * Voters authorize the formation of single-member districts. Globe Life Park in 2018.jpg
 * 1994 –
 * The Ballpark in Arlington opens.
 * Richard Greene Linear Park opens in honor of the mayor.
 * Arlington Central Library is renamed George W. Hawkes Central Library after prominent newspaper publisher George W. Hawkes.
 * Johnnie High's Country Music Revue moves into the old Arlington Theater.
 * The Arlington Museum of Art opens in the old JCPenney building on Main Street.
 * 1995 –
 * The University of Texas at Arlington celebrates its 100-year anniversary.
 * Downtown Arlington, Inc. is formed.
 * 1996 –
 * Arlington Morning News begins publication.
 * City website online.
 * Tarrant County College Southeast Campus opens.
 * River Legacy Living Science Center opens to the public.
 * Amber Hagerman is abducted and killed after riding her bike on Abram Street, and the Amber alert is established and named after her.
 * 1997 –
 * Elzie Odom becomes Arlington's first African-American mayor, focusing on expanding education as well as theater and arts in downtown.
 * Texas Health Resources nonprofit established.
 * A section of turf located behind Center Field at the Ballpark in Arlington is named Greene's Hill for the mayor's contributions to the Texas Rangers baseball club.
 * 1998 – Cooper House is destroyed in an accidental fire on Halloween night.
 * 1999 – Elzie Odom Athletic Center opens at 1601 N.E. Green Oaks Boulevard.
 * 2000 –
 * Old Town Historic District opens.
 * Population: 332,969.

21st century

 * 2001 –Eastern Star Home closes facilities.
 * 2002 –
 * Mansfield Summit High School and Seguin High School open.
 * AMC Parks cinema opens.
 * Arlington voters overwhelmingly approve a street maintenance sales tax program that the city proposed.
 * 2003 – Robert Cluck becomes mayor.
 * 2004 –
 * Voters 'okay' a tax hike that helps pay for a brand new stadium for the Dallas Cowboys.
 * Mansfield Timberview High School established.
 * 2005 - The commercial tree preservation ordinance is extended to residential developments.
 * 2006 –
 * Downtown Arlington Management Corporation established.
 * Runaway Mine Train is designated an ACE Coaster Landmark by the American Coaster Enthusiasts.
 * Arlington celebrates its 135th birthday.
 * 2007 –
 * UT Arlington becomes the second largest campus in the University of Texas system.
 * The Highlands shopping district opens.
 * Construction is set to begin on an upscale development called Glorypark by AT&T Stadium.
 * 2008 –
 * Opening night of the Levitt Pavilion for the Performing Arts in Arlington with more than 1,800 people in attendance.
 * Plans for Glorypark by AT&T Stadium are shelved.
 * 2009 –
 * Cowboys Stadium opens.
 * Texas Giant closes for renovations as the wooden coaster ages.
 * 2010 – Population: 365,438 city; 6,371,773 metro; 19,728,244 megaregion.
 * 2011 -
 * Texas Christkindl Market commemorates its first year during the holiday season.
 * Pentatonix forms and wins The Sing-Off, founded by Martin High School alumni.
 * New Texas Giant opens up as a hybrid wooden-steel coaster.
 * 2012 –
 * University of Texas's College Park Center opens.
 * Pentatonix returns to their hometown to perform a free concert at the Levitt Pavilion, breaking the attendance record with 12,000 people attending.
 * 2013 –
 * Former Eastern Star Home is demolished.
 * Metro Arlington Xpress (public transit) begins operating.
 * Arlington becomes the Fall location for retro gaming convention Retropalooza.
 * 2014 –
 * Arlington changes its logo and slogan to "American Dream City."
 * 2015 –
 * W. Jeff Williams becomes mayor.
 * George W. Hawkes Central Library is demolished after 40 years of service.
 * The original Sam Houston High School building demolishes.
 * 2016 –
 * Proposition to build new stadium for Texas Rangers is passed.
 * The City and the Arlington Museum of Art begin a public art project called "Stars of Texas" with painted star statues scattered around the city.
 * Downtown Arlington is designated as a cultural district by the State of Texas.
 * 2017 –
 * AISD opens the Dan Dipert Career and Technical Center after it was approved in a 2014 bond.
 * Officials breaks ground on the new Texas Rangers stadium.
 * Ride-sharing company Via becomes the city's only public transportation service, replacing Metro Arlington Xpress. First-year operations cost taxpayers $922,500.
 * Texas Christkind Market combines with Enchant Christmas to create the Enchant Christmas Light Maze and Market for the next two years.
 * 2018 –
 * George W. Hawkes Central Library second location celebrates its grand opening.
 * Arlington Convention Center re-opens as Esports Stadium Arlington & Expo Center, the largest dedicated esports facility in North America.
 * Arlington citizens vote to implement term limits on the city council.
 * Yosemite Sam & the Gold River Adventure at SFOT semi-permanently closes after a bad storm.
 * 2019 –
 * AISD opens the Arlington College and Career High School.
 * Live! By Loews opens as a joint venture between Loews Hotels and the Texas Rangers to bring an upscale hospitality experience to the entertainment district.
 * Arlington is chosen as the home of the National Medal of Honor Museum, set to be built in 2024.
 * General Motors employees strike for 40 days for additional compensation and benefits.
 * UTA receives funding to replace their School of Social Work building, the first Arlington High School building.
 * Medical City Arlington opens their Medical City Women's Hospital.
 * 2020 –
 * Globe Life Field celebrates a delayed opening for AISD high school graduation, and a few months later for a crowdless MLB game.
 * Globe Life Field hosts the entirety of the World Series, the first time the World Series has played at a single location since 1944.
 * 2021 -
 * Via Rideshare service expands city-wide. The annual taxpayer expense becomes $2.2 million.
 * 2023-
 * A reimagined version of the original downtown mineral well as a fountain and clock tower is constructed and completed, dubbed the "Mineral Well Park Plaza."
 * Texas Rangers win the 2023 World Series, the first world series win in the history of the franchise since arriving in Arlington in 1972.