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. Location: N 32° 47.280 W 097° 05.978 1841 – General Edward H. Tarrant leads the Battle of Village Creek, killing many Native American people who called Village Creek their home.Frazier, Donald S.: Battle of Village Creek - TSHA Handbook of Texas Online 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.Fort Tour Systems, Inc. – Bird’s Fort 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.Texas State Library and Archives Commission: Bird's Fort Treaty Ratification Proclamation, 1843 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 –