Fort Worth & Tarrant County explores the past and present of 
“Cowtown” and its neighboring cities. The county’s major city, Fort 
Worth, has been likened to a young hellion who has matured into 
an unwonted respectability. When other frontier towns dried into 
dust, Fort Worth dug in and survived. In three generations, the 
remote army post on the Trinity River grew into a major city, its 
growth paralleling major phases and developments in the American 
West. And with Fort Worth, Tarrant County grew and prospered, 
their identities linked by geography and commerce.

    Cattle, railroads, oil, aviation—these form the rich tradition of 
Tarrant County history, a history preserved in the many landmark 
structures that survive today and serve to introduce resident and 
visitor alike to the past. There’s the Livestock Exchange Building 
that symbolizes Fort Worth’s history as Cowtown—it once held the 
offices of forty-two livestock commission companies and livestock 
buyers. The Eddleman-McFarland House, Thistle Hill, and 
Arlington’s graceful Fielder House recreate the days of cattle baron 
mansions and high society. The seven-story Flatiron Building 
downtown was one of the tallest buildings in North Texas when it 
was built in 1907. And the spirits of Hell’s Half Acre, Fort Worth’s 
notorious red-light district, still draw the attention of local residents 
and visitors alike.

    Fort Worth & Tarrant County introduces you to the places where 
Tarrant County history was made. Book in hand you can visit these 
sites and many more. The history of buildings and sites inevitably 
includes the people behind them, the people who created the 
history. In these pages you’ll read about Al Hayne, who rescued 
people from the burning Spring Palace; or Amon Carter, who 
brought aviation to the city; W. T. Waggoner, the legendary 
cattleman who built Thistle Hill for his daughter and whose name 
graces an historic office building.

    Buildings in this guide are listed on the National Register of 
Historic Places, have a Texas Historical Marker, or a designation as 
a State Archeological Landmark. This easy-to-use guide is 
arranged geographically. Five sections describe sites in Fort Worth. 
Smaller cities are listed alphabetically within three general 
geographic areas. Cemeteries are in a category by themselves. 
Thematic tours are listed by subject or interest, such as African 
American history, historic neighborhoods, or the cattle and livestock 
industry. Illustrated maps guide explorers on suggested walking 
tours, and a timeline chronicles the county’s history.

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CAROL ROARK lives in an historical neighborhood where she and 
her husband have renovated a 1913 bungalow. She is manager of 
the Special Collections Division of the Dallas Public Library and 
chair of the Texas Historical Commission’s National Register State 
Board of Review. Her books include Fort Worth’s Legendary 
Landmarks and Fort Worth Then & Now.


A project of the Tarrant County Historical Society and TCU Press