Historic Preservation

The Office of Historic Preservation works to identify, designate, preserve, and celebrate significant historic resources in Tarrant County. Historic resources are buildings, structures, objects, sites, and cultural landscapes that are 50 years old or older, and are significant to local state, or national history, architecture, archeology, engineering, or culture. This work is done in partnership with local municipalities, historical societies, private entities, and the Tarrant County Certified Local Government (CLG) Committee.

In 2019, the Tarrant County CLG Committee received a grant from the Texas Historical Commission to create a county-wide Historic Preservation Plan. This Plan is an overview for important work to be undertaken by the Office of Historic Preservation and the CLG Committee to enhance historic preservation across the county. The Plan is in two parts, linked below, the first being the substance of the plan, and the second is appendices.

Tarrant County Preservation Plan 2021 Volume I     Tarrant County Preservation Plan 2021 Volume II

Tarrant County Historic Context Statements and Historic Sites Atlas

The Tarrant County CLG Committee was awarded a grant from the Texas Historical Commission in 2022 to fund the creation of historic context statements of Tarrant County and a publicly available GIS map of consolidated historic resources survey data for the county.

Historic Context Statements

A historic context statement is a written document that provides the framework for evaluating properties for historical significance. Historic contexts document historical events and trends important to the physical development of a place and set forth the required background information needed to assess the historical significance of properties for historic designation in the National Register of Historic Places. Historic contexts are not comprehensive histories, but rather a tool for future survey work. The Tarrant County Thematic Historic Context Statements focus on the following themes which are significant to Tarrant County's history: Farming and Agricultrual Processing, Ranching and Meat Processing, Commercial Nodes, Cultural and Social Institutions, Suburbanization, and Recreation and Tourism. Access the full PDF document using the link below, and utilize the Table of Contents page to easily navigate through the different chapters and sections of the document.

Tarrant County Thematic Historic Context Statements

Historic Resources Surveys and Atlas

A historic resources survey is a systematic method of documenting historic resources through fieldwork and research. Surveys contain pertinent information about the property, structures, owners, and historical significance of resources. A property's presence on a survey does not automatically award a historic designation to that property, but it means the property is potentially eligible for designation.

The historic context statements and Tarrant County Historic Sites Atlas, below, are the result of that grant. They were created with help from HHM and Associates, Texas Historical Commission, Tarrant County CLG Committee, and the Historic Preservation and Archives Office. Additional survey data will be added to the Atlas as it becomes available.

View this guide on how to utilize the Tarrant County Historic Sites Atlas, with further information about the survey data included on the map. You can also view the Atlas in a separate window for ease of use. For questions or input regarding the Atlas or historic context statements, please reach out to archives@tarrantcountytx.gov.

Special thanks goes to the following entities that provided survey data:

• City of Arlington
• City of Fort Worth
• City of Grapevine
• City of Mansfield
• Historic Fort Worth, Inc., copyright holder for 1980s Tarrant County Historic Resources Survey
• Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT)
• Texas Freedom Colonies Atlas, housed at University of Virginia
• Texas Historical Commission (THC)