# Timeline of Arlington, Texas

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

## Prior to 20th century

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History of Texas :
Timeline :
| Pre-Columbian Texas | |
| Early Spanish explorations | 1519–1543 |
| French Texas | 1684–1689 |
| Spanish Texas | 1690–1821 |
| Mexican Texas | 1821–1836 |
| Republic of Texas | 1836–1845 |
| Statehood | 1845–1860 |
| Civil War Era | 1861–1865 |
| Reconstruction | 1865–1899 |
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* 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.Runaway Mine Train Coaster
* 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.The Ballpark in 2018.
* 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.