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Tarrant County Historic Preservation and Archives

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Tarrant County Historic Preservation and Archives

Our mission: collect, preserve, and provide materials for research on Tarrant County history. Welcome to the Tarrant County Archives page! Off-topic content
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The Tarrant County Archives's mission is to collect, preserve and offer for research materials which are a record of Tarrant County history. The Archives house more than 700 named collections in a 10,000+ square foot facility located on the fifth floor of the Tarrant County Plaza Building. The Tarrant County Archivist and Archives staff stand ready to assist you with your historical research needs. The Tarrant County Archives is currently open by appointment only. Please email us at [email protected] so we can discuss your research needs and schedule an appointment. TCA RULES of CONDUCT:

We encourage informative, inspiring, thoughtful, respectful, and inclusive discussion on this page.*

Please take personal responsibility for your comments and posts. This is a public community, so please protect your personal safety by not sharing any type of personally identifying information. By interacting with our page, you accept and agree to the terms below, which are subject to change at any time. We reserve the right to remove any posts, replies, or content, and block and/or report users who post inappropriate content. This material may include, but is not limited to:

1. Threating, abusive, bullying, harassing language towards an
individual or organization
2. Content that promotes, fosters, or perpetuates
discrimination on the basis of gender, sexual orientation, religion,
gender identity, age, ethnic origin, or race
3. Content in support or opposition of any political party
4. Profane, obscene, or pornographic content and/or language
5. Provocation of other community members in the form of intentional
trolling, troll baiting, or flaming
6. Suggestion or encouragement of illegal activity
8. Advertisements/solicitations, spam, or fraudulent links
9. False, inaccurate, or misleading content
10. Third-party intellectual property and/or content protected by
copyright
11. Repetitive content, re-posts, or re-shares
12. Confidential or non-public information for any community
member, TCAF volunteers, or TCA staff
13. Private correspondence between user, other community members, TCAF volunteers, or TCA staff

*Opinions expressed in public comments and posts do not necessarily reflect official positions of the Tarrant County Archives.

10/14/2026

We are excited to share the Arthur Weinman Collection is ready for research! This collection contains a multitude of family history for the Weinman, Lewis, Keller and Turner families, tracing roots back to the American Revolution. The collection contains photographs, records, correspondence, genealogy, and more related to these families. You will have to visit the archives to see it all because there is too much in this amazing collection to list here!

Start exploring by visiting the collection webpage at https://www.tarrantcountytx.gov/en/tarrant-county-archives/holdings/named-collections/w/weinman-arthur.html

10/09/2026

Remember the rocket slide at Chisholm Park in Hurst?

This photograph brings back some blistered memories for some of us!

Taken by Doug Wallace in November 1982 for Leslie Shuga, Duane Gage Collection

10/01/2026

Happy National Roller Skating month!

This circa 1970 image of a roller skating penguin, from the Tina Walls Collection, is part of a set of conceptual drawings for Seven Seas Marine Life Park in Arlington.
The park opened in early Spring of 1972 but only operated for about three years before closing. It reopened, without the animals, as Hawaii Kai, but then closed for good in 1976.

Did you ever visit Seven Seas or see the roller skating penguins? We'd love to hear your stories!

09/28/2026

We are happy to share that all reference images from the 1980s Tarrant County Historic Resources Survey have been added to the points on our GIS map!

Here you can see an example of the referene image for a farm complex that used to stand in Euless near the DFW Airport. Reading the description of the buildings and the historic significance is wonderful, but being able to have a visual, especially of structures that are no longer standing, is a powerful way to connect with our local history!

Check out the Tarrant County Historic Sites Atlas on our website - https://www.tarrantcountytx.gov/en/tarrant-county-archives/historic-preservation.html

Be sure to check out the user guide linked above the map, for tips and tricks.

09/24/2026

Happy Punctuation Day!

Today we're reflecting on making punctuation marks using typewriters. We have a few typewriting lesson books in our archives that belonged to Tarrant County residents. Reading the instructions for making an exclamation point certainly makes us appreciate modern keyboards!

Images:
Photo of Mongomery Ward's Typing Unit, Howard H. McPeak Collection
A page from Degan's Manual of Natural Touch and Speed Typewriting, Dalton Hoffman Collection

09/21/2026

Today we're sharing two snapshots of Benbrook Dam and Reservoir Spillway signs from the Dalton Hoffman Collection.

Fort Worth suffered major floods in 1908, 1922, and 1936, and a solution for flood control and containment was imperative. Construction for a lake on the Clear Fork of the Trinity River was already underway when another flood, considered the worst in Fort Worth history, occurred in mid-May 1949. Construction ended in December 1950, and the project was completed in 1952 when the water flow was cut off and began collecting in the reservoir.

These snapshots have a print date stamp of June 1950, although the pictures may have been taken earlier. If you look beyond the sign, you can see that the Clear Fork riverbed is almost dry.

After the lake was filled in 1952, it became a hub for outdoor activities in the area.

09/17/2026

Many people are familiar with the scenic and children's View-Master Reels, but did you know that they also offered custom promotional reels?

The reel we're sharing today highlights retail design collaborations between Carter and Burgess, whose original headquarters was in Fort Worth, and Sumner Schein. Carter and Burgess likely commissioned the reel, and Fisher-Price branding indicates that it was created sometime between 1997 and the early 2000s.

Number 6 on the reel shows what appears to be a conceptual drawing of Ridgmar Mall, which the two companies began working on together in the early 1970s. We don't recognize the scene, but it's interesting to see what might have been!

09/14/2026

The Tarrant County Convention Center is set to be demolished soon, the final event being held this Sunday, September 20.

We happen to have a ticket for the very first event held at the Convention Center on November 21, 1968 – Action Spectacular Trade Show! The image of the building on the ticket is a nice touch. This ticket is part of the Dalton Hoffman Collection.

What is your favorite memory at the Tarrant County Convention Center?

09/10/2026

Although Storybook Land wasn't located in Tarrant County, we bet some of our local viewers may remember it!

Storybook Land was a theme park centered around children's stories. It opened in 1956 and closed sometime in the early 1960s.

If you look closely, you can see the slide emerging underneath the shoe!

Postcard from the Dalton Hoffman Collection
Slides from the Jamie Powell Sheppard Collection

Address

200 Taylor Street/Suite 5200
Fort Worth, TX
76196

Opening Hours

Tuesday	9am - 4:30pm
Wednesday	9am - 4:30pm
Thursday	9am - 4:30pm
Friday	9am - 4:30pm

Telephone

+18178843272

Website

https://www.tarrantcountytx.gov/en/tarrant-county-archives.html

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