This area was the edge
of cowtown's notorious
Hell's Half Acre where a
district of saloons, dance
halls, gambling parlors,
and bordellos thrived in
the late 1800s. Lawmen,
gamblers, cowboys, trainmen, buffalo hunters,
teamsters, madams . . . — — Map (db m244706) HM
A notorious red light district known as Hell's Half Acre developed in this section of Fort Worth after the arrival of the Texas and Pacific Railway in 1876 launched a local economic boom. Fort Worth was soon the favorite destination for hundreds of . . . — — Map (db m52502) HM
Greater St. James Missionary Baptist Church was organized in 1895 by Reverend J. Francis Robinson with thirty members. Following Reverend Robinson as pastors were: Revs. J.A. Fisher, W.F. Lawson, J.P. Pruitt, J.B. Slaughter, W.H. Burroughs, W.M. . . . — — Map (db m194135) HM
On the evening of November 21, 1963, President and Mrs. John F. Kennedy arrived in Fort Worth to spend the night at the Hotel Texas. Early the next morning, President Kennedy made an unscheduled outdoor appearance and surprised a crowd that had . . . — — Map (db m52499) HM
On November 22, 1963, before that day's tragedy
saddened Americans everywhere, the people of Fort
Worth reveled in President John F. Kennedy's
enthusiastically received visit to our city.
Even though a cold, hard rain fell in the . . . — — Map (db m244545) HM
A native of Kentucky, John Peter Smith migrated to Fort Worth in 1853. He worked as a teacher, clerk, and surveyor before his appointment as Deputy Surveyor of the Denton Land Department in 1855, for which he received payment in property. Also a . . . — — Map (db m52506) HM
Pioneer architects Haggart and Sanguinet designed this brick sandstone and cast iron building with rounded arched windows and other ornate details. It featured the first known stone carving in Fort Worth, the figure of an owl, and displayed the . . . — — Map (db m88115) HM
(center panel)
Obie Paul Leonard • John Marvin Leonard
Two farm boys, with ingenuity, determination and 600 dollars, built a business empire.
(outer panels)
The history of
John Marvin Leonard and Obie Paul . . . — — Map (db m52790) HM
Originally the notorious Wild West watering hole known as the “White Elephant Saloon”. Long-Hair Jim Courtwright who had been both Federal and City Marshall here was shot and killed by Gambler - King Luke Short, February 8, 1887 at the . . . — — Map (db m53212) HM
The Adelphi, Fort Worth’s first vaudeville theater, opened in 1876 at 3rd & Main but soon closed. Within a month, the “Theatre Comique” occupied the site, attracting audiences to its popular presentations of western-style variety . . . — — Map (db m52274) HM
This building was constructed in 1908 as a saloon with "Guest" rooms on the top floors. It belonged to Winfield Scott, one of Fort Worth's most prominent citizens who amassed a small fortune in the cattle business. A popular lodging place for . . . — — Map (db m52278) HM
On Tuesday, December 6, 1921, Mr. Fred Rouse, an African-American husband, father of three, and non-union butcher for Swift & Co., was attacked by white union strikers and agitators in the Niles City Stockyards (now part of Fort Worth). Mr. Rouse . . . — — Map (db m240240) HM
Pioneer oilman Richard O. Dulaney hired noted Fort Worth architect Wiley G. Clarkson to design this building. It acquired its name from the Sinclair Oil Company which leased offices here soon after the building's completion in 1930. The . . . — — Map (db m217735) HM
At the turn of the century Ft. Worth's live entertainment consisted chiefly of saloon, dance hall, church, and school presentations. Matters changed in 1905 when Karl Hoblitzelle founded the Interstate Amusement Company and chose Ft. Worth for its . . . — — Map (db m217738) HM
Catholics in Fort Worth began meeting together for regular worship services by 1875. They met in private homes, and were served by traveling priests. In 1876 Bishop Claude Dubuis of the Diocese of Galveston assigned a young Irish priest, Farther . . . — — Map (db m52504) HM
After many years of debate, Fort Worth researchers identified this site in 1957 as the location of the city's first Masonic lodge. For more than twenty years, lodge members met in a two story hall at this location. The group organized in 1854 and . . . — — Map (db m52716) HM
The Forth Worth Medical College was established as the medical department of Fort Worth University in 1894 by a group of prominent area physicians. Among those in its small charter class was Frances Daisy Emery, the first woman medical school . . . — — Map (db m53215) HM
The first Catholic School in Fort Worth, St. Ignatius Academy was organized by the sisters of St. Mary of Namur in 1885. The first classes were held in a house purchased from Jacob Smith. This four-story limestone structure, used for classrooms . . . — — Map (db m201875) HM
Erected 1888-1892 under the direction of the parish priest, the Rev. Jean M. Guyot, a native of France. Stone for walls was quarried locally. Improvised, horse-powered lathes were used to turn and polish the eighteen interior pillars. Ceilings and . . . — — Map (db m52523) HM
Designed by firm of Gunn & Curtis and built by the Probst Construction Company of Chicago, 1893-1895. This red Texas granite building, in Renaissance Revival style, closely resembles the Texas State Capitol with the exception of the clock tower. . . . — — Map (db m121876) HM
Texas Christian University and Fort Worth's partnership dates to 1910 although the connection began in 1869 when Ida Addison, and Randolph Clark established TCU's forerunner academy in the area known as Hell's Half Acre. The rowdiness of the area . . . — — Map (db m121907) HM
Developer Thomas S. Weaver had this structure built about 1905. Named "Atelier", the French word for an artist's studio, it has housed the offices of architects and contractors, a restaurant, and financial institutions, including the banking firm of . . . — — Map (db m118253) HM
Neil P. Anderson (1847-1912) lived in Fort Worth by 1882. A talented broker, he helped this city set the pace for cotton trading in the inland markets of the southwest. His firm had Sanguinet & Staats design this “Cotton Exchange” with . . . — — Map (db m52830) HM
This stone marks the site of Camp Worth, a United States Military Post named in Honor of General William J. Worth and Commanded by Major Ripley A. Arnold 1849-1853. The camp protected the frontier against Indians, and was the beginning of the City . . . — — Map (db m223364) HM
When professional photographer John Swartz snapped this famous photograph of five young men in 1901, he had no idea it would end up on a “wanted” poster. Swartz and his brothers, considered Fort Worth’s premier photographers, were unaware that the . . . — — Map (db m52284) HM
The first telegraphed communication to Fort Worth came via a private line rigged to Eagle Ford in 1874. The Western Union Telegraph Company moved offices to this location, without a moment's interruption in service, in August 1931. The Telegraph . . . — — Map (db m192609) HM
Encompassing almost 130 acres, the Mount Olivet Cemetery was founded in 1907 by Flavious G. McPeak (1858-1933) and his wife, Johnnie Clara Lester McPeak (1858-1936), who arrived in Fort Worth in 1894 from Tennessee. The land on which the cemetery is . . . — — Map (db m92319) HM
(South Face)
This memorial is dedicated
to the honor of
Tarrant County citizens
who served their country during
World War I
World War II
The Korean War
The Vietnam War
The Persian Gulf War
May 25, 1980
(North . . . — — Map (db m92318) WM
Timothy Brian Cole, born in Brenham in 1960, served in the U.S. Army and attended Texas Tech University in Lubbock. While there, Cole was accused of assaulting a fellow student in September 1986. A jury convicted him and sentenced him to 25 years . . . — — Map (db m186622) HM
The Masonic Temple Association was founded as the result of dramatic growth in Fort Worth's Masonic membership during the early part of the twentieth century. It was chartered in 1929 with ten member bodies for the purpose of building and . . . — — Map (db m217734) HM
This building was constructed for the Masonic Temple Association of Fort Worth provide a single meeting place for all member bodies. Completed in 1932, it was designed by the Fort Worth architectural firm of Wiley G. Clarkson & Co. The Temple . . . — — Map (db m217733) HM
In 1861 Benjamin Patton Ayres (ca. 1801-62) and his wife, Emily (Cozart) (ca. 1811-63), bought a 320-acre farm and set aside two acres on this hillside as a family cemetery. Ayres, who had served as the second Tarrant County clerk and who helped . . . — — Map (db m170231) HM
This congregation traces its original to the establishment in 1911 of the Sycamore Heights Methodist Episcopal Church, South, and the Sagamore Hill Methodist Episcopal Church, South. These two small mission congregations, initially led by . . . — — Map (db m170297) HM
A native of England, William Sanderson came to Texas in 1841. He obtained a Republic of Texas land grant and in 1847 settled in Tarrant County with his wife, Isabella Francis (Ayres). Sanderson soon established himself as a farmer and stock . . . — — Map (db m170229) HM
Pinkney Harold Ford (1831-1901) was the leader of a Kentucky family who migrated to Texas in 1855. They settled in the area of North Arlington, then known as the Watson Community. John J. Goodwin held the original patent to this cemetery property. . . . — — Map (db m245106) HM
In 1870 the Rev. Andrew Shannon Hayter organized the Good Hope Cumberland Sabbath School to serve the early settlers of the surrounding area. The first church building, which was also used as a schoolhouse, was located in the vicinity of the . . . — — Map (db m190686) HM
A shared theme is that of “homecoming”, the moment imagined from distant lands and the
moment realized in the hugs and tears of reuniting with family and dear friends.
The soldier heart remembers home: the mother’s goodbye embrace, the . . . — — Map (db m235020) WM
"The wind goeth toward the south, and turneth about unto the north; it whirleth about continually, and the wind returneth again according to his circuits."
Ecclesiastes 1:6
Standing alone on the prairie...perhaps the most visible . . . — — Map (db m194102) HM
This statue honors the early settlers who walked along side their wagons to Texas seeking the promise of a better life for themselves and their children. They established the first permanent settlement of Grapevine in 1884. William D. Tate, . . . — — Map (db m193580) HM
"Time is passing, yet, for the United States of America, there will be no forgetting September the 11th. We will remember every rescuer who died with honor. We will remember the fire and ash, the last phone calls, the funeral of the children." . . . — — Map (db m193588) WM
American Airlines Flight 11 Captain John Ogonowski · Officer Thomas McGuinness Flight Attendants Barbara Arestegui · Sara Low · Karen Martin · Kathleen Nicosia · Betty Ong · Jean Roger · Jeffery Collman · Dianne Snyder · Amy Sweeney United . . . — — Map (db m193586) WM
As friendly as a school crossing guard and as commanding of respect as a military sentinel, Tower 16 stood at the junction of two railroad tracks and gave the determining nod as to which train had the right of way and which one had to stop. It was a . . . — — Map (db m235181) HM
Austin Drug / Grapevine Post Office has been listed in the National Register of Historic Places by the United States Department of the Interior 1992
Restored 1979 by Burl D. Gilliam, L. Kay Gilliam — — Map (db m193399) HM
This is the official aviation beacon for the DFW International Airport. The Federal
Aviation Administration (FAA) requires every airport to operate and maintain a
rotating beacon as a requirement of Federal Aviation Regulations (FAR) . . . — — Map (db m244620) HM
Grapevine Mayor: 1912-14; 1916-17; 1919-20; 1933-46
Benjamin Richard (B.R.) Wall was born in Grapevine on
May 7, 1876. He attended the Grapevine free school, and
continued his education at Grapevine College and at Baylor
University where . . . — — Map (db m193764) HM
"The only building of truly imposing stature in the frontier community
would be the principal hotel."
- William C. Davis (author and historian)
In frontier times, travellers were regarded as strangers. At the local hotel, . . . — — Map (db m194141) HM
On August 2, 1985, Delta Air Lines Flight 191,
a Lockheed L-1011, crashed on final approach
to the Dallas Fort Worth International Airport,
approximately 2 miles due east of this site. A total
of 135 persons died in the accident, including . . . — — Map (db m216965) HM
E. J. Lipscomb Dry Goods Co. has been listed in the National Register of Historic Places by the United States Department of the Interior 1992 Restored 1990 by Burl D. Gilliam, L. Kay Gilliam — — Map (db m193503) HM
E. M. Jenkins-Tate Building has been listed in the National Register of Historic Places by the United States Department of the Interior 1992 Restored 1995 by Graham N. Self and Lance D. Gilliam — — Map (db m193652) HM
"Ancient Greeks celebrated the grape harvest with Bacchus and some Texas cities still
celebrate King Cotton, but in Grapevine we celebrate the harvest season with one of the
biggest cantaloupe festivals in the World...150 growers are . . . — — Map (db m194515) HM
Baptists in the Grapevine Prairie area began meeting in their own homes as early as 1846. Worship services later were held in a log schoolhouse on what is now Dooley Street in the community of Grapevine. On December 25, 1869, the pioneers . . . — — Map (db m147397) HM
Designed by nationally-known architect Walter W.
Ahlschlager, the First National Bank of Grapevine was
called the most modern country banking structure in
Texas. This dramatic Art Deco (international-style)
building was constructed in 1942 . . . — — Map (db m193762) HM
Wild mustang grapes growing profusely in this area inspired the name "Grape Vine" for this community. Ambrose Foster (1794?-1847) and his wife Susannah Medlin (1796-1876) were among the first settlers in 1845, from Platte County, Missouri. The . . . — — Map (db m147807) HM
This stone is from the crash site in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. It was donated by the Flight 93 Chapel in Shanksville.
This limestone fragment is from the impact zone of the Pentagon. It has been provided by the pentagon Renovation and . . . — — Map (db m194071) WM
In June, 1909 the Grapevine Town Council voted unanimously to build the community's first "calaboose" - town jail. Grapevine had previously relied on the Tarrant County Sheriff to provide official law enforcement. But now the Council gave Town . . . — — Map (db m194490) HM
Samuel D. Coble (1830-1890), joined later by his brother Allen B. Coble (1836-1906), settled here in the 1850s. In 1878 they sold 4.5 acres of land at this site for use as a public cemetery. The oldest known grave is that of Louisa C. Guiry (d. . . . — — Map (db m228235) HM
"Blackland area cotton was then regarded most highly by spinners of England."
Texas Historical Marker, Greenville (TX) Cotton Compress
In 1858, George Emanuel Bushong built and operated the first cotton gin in the
Grapevine area. In . . . — — Map (db m194143) HM
"Running a dairy was a commitment, twenty hours a day, but Mayor Willis Pirkle did it well.
He was not only a good businessman but also had a lot of common sense.
He has been an inspiration to me, a good example, and he is one of the best . . . — — Map (db m194167) HM
Grapevine Home Bank has been listed in the National Register of Historic Places by the United States Department of the Interior 1992 Restored 1985 by Fred Goad, Henry Gaines & Dennis Voith — — Map (db m193495) HM
In June of 1885, the Independent Order of Odd Fellows instituted Grapevine Order No. 402 with 17 members. The fraternal order constructed this brick building. For 100 years, the Odd Fellows have served the community honoring the principles of . . . — — Map (db m193657) HM
On June 16, 1866 Grapevine Masonic Lodge #288 was granted its charter with J. W. Dunn as Worshipful Master. In June 1868 a committee was appointed to build a Masonic Lodge and school building. Rev. E. N. Hudgins donated five acres of land on . . . — — Map (db m193694) HM
This area was the site of the first
government in Grapevine, Texas. On this
land stood a store first owned and
operated by Archibald Franklin Leonard. In
his store, Leonard, Henry Suggs, James Tracy
Moorhead and others, in the year . . . — — Map (db m244744) HM
On this day September 17, 1999, the two hundred and twelfth anniversary of the Constitution of the United States of America, the Peters Colony Chapter, National Society Daughters of the American Revolution honors the Citizens of Grapevine for their . . . — — Map (db m231588) HM
John E. Foust came to the Grapevine
area in 1876 and began a general
mercantile business in 1880. This
brick building was built in 1889.
A visionary entrepreneur, he sold
snow cones from a pass-through
window in the 1890's, brought . . . — — Map (db m193736) HM
John E. Foust (1861-1926) moved to Grapevine in 1880 and started a general merchandise store which stocked coffins. He gradually added other services and with the help of his wife Daisy (Huitt) (1876-1963) established a funeral company. A civic . . . — — Map (db m245764) HM
James Tracy Morehead
(Mar.27, 1809 - Aug. 6, 1897)
Virginia native James Tracy Morehead came to Texas with his family in 1852, settling in
newly organized Tarrant County. Two years later, he was chosen to serve as the county's third chief . . . — — Map (db m146155) HM
Koonce Bros. / Buckner's Grocery has been listed in the National Register of Historic Places by the United States Department of the Interior 1992
Restored 1984 by Lance D. Gilliam, Laura K. (Gilliam) Self — — Map (db m193398) HM
"Land is the secure ground of home."
- Stephen F. Austin
On March 2, 1836, when Texas declared its independence from Mexico,
there were 60,000 people in the entire state of Texas – just a few more than
now live in Grapevine. On . . . — — Map (db m194270) HM
Love Chapel Church of God in Christ began meeting as a congregation in 1930 at 409 West Wall Street near the Farmer's Gin Company in the area known as "the gin lot."
Ella Jackson and Doshie Wright were the first trustees of the church. Members of . . . — — Map (db m176349)
Lucas General Store & Undertakers has been listed in the National Register of Historic Places by the United States Department of the Interior 1992 Restored by Ann Carlson — — Map (db m193653) HM
Originally part of the Morgan Hood Survey, this small cemetery (75 ft. SE) has been abandoned for over a century. Its one visible grave is marked with portions of a sandstone burial cairn, a common method of marking graves in this area in the . . . — — Map (db m227627) HM
Established in 1859, the Nash Farm constitutes one of the last remaining agrarian sites from the 19th century in North Texas in the region where there was once a pervasive landscape of farmsteads. Thomas Jefferson Nash, Elizabeth Mouser Nash and . . . — — Map (db m147393) HM
Born on the Grapevine Prairie in 1861, Nat left home at 16 to
work the big Open Range ranches of South Texas. A young
man of good character, he quickly became a Top Hand Cowboy
and was invited to join the big cattle drives up the . . . — — Map (db m193753) HM
Palace Theatre, built in 1940, listed in the National Register of Historic Places by the United States Department of the Interior. — — Map (db m193493) HM
The first burial here is thought to be that of Christina Driskill (1797-1862), whose son-in-law Isaac Green Parker (1816-1875) owned the land. In 1881 Parker's widow, Mary (Polly) Parker Turner (1820-1897) deeded the 4.31-acre plot for a public . . . — — Map (db m184079) HM
Peace Circle, comprised of eleven monumental statues created by artist Linda Lewis at the Grapevine Foundry and completed in 2021, commemorates a moment in time that occurred on the Grape Vine Prairie in August 1843. That day, General Sam Houston, . . . — — Map (db m235682) HM
Water was a great blessing on the Grape Vine Prairie. Whether from
Denton Creek, a hand-dug well, or drawn from below ground by the
rhythmic movement of a windmill's sucker rod, water's availability
meant life for Grapevine settlers and . . . — — Map (db m193701) HM
Between June 16, 2004 and March 14, 2012 over 2,700 flights carrying
U.S. Military on Rest and Recuperation leave (R&R) were welcomed
back to U.S. soil at DFW Airport. In honor of the troops, the water
cannons of the Airport's ARFF trucks . . . — — Map (db m244803) HM
Early History
During the early years of Grapevine's
development, the land to the east and
west of Main Street consisted of large
family land holdings. These tracts of
land contained small dwellings and
outbuildings allowing families . . . — — Map (db m235448) HM
Constructed in 1897, this building served as retail space until it was purchased and remodeled by the Tarrant County State Bank in 1921. It became the offices of the Grapevine Sun newspaper in 1947. Displaying Classical Revival style elements, . . . — — Map (db m147398) HM
Tate Hardware Company Building has been listed in the National Register of Historic Places by the United States Department of the Interior 1992 Restored 1987 by J. Terry Lacrosse — — Map (db m193502) HM
The Confectionery / City Drug Store has been listed in the National Register of Historic Places by the United States Department of the Interior 1992 Restored 1980 by Horace N. Gilliam — — Map (db m193500) HM
The Grapevine Depot was constructed in about 1901, and probably replaced an earlier, simpler structure that would have served as a terminal for passenger and freight services. The station was originally located in the middle of main Street, about . . . — — Map (db m194636) HM
This Founders Building, while itself not historic in age, is a tribute to Grapevine citizens both past and present who possessed a vision for this community and a desire to develop and share its potential. These individuals are the "Founders” of . . . — — Map (db m194802) HM
Looking southward on Main Street, gaze for a
moment back in time... to a time before commercial businesses,
D/FW International Airport and neighborhood upon neighborhood brought thousands
sands of people to the area...to a time when
the . . . — — Map (db m195089) HM
This bell was cast in 1886 and used during the early 1900s to alert the 13 members of the all-volunteer "Bucket Brigade," which was established in May 1907.
Fire calls were received by Grapevine's telephone operator, known as "Central". The . . . — — Map (db m193440) HM
Long known as the B & D Feed Mill, the industrial complex on the west side of main Street north of the railroad tracks was developed in 1902 as the Farmers and Merchants Milling Company, a flour mill started by a group of prominent Grapevine . . . — — Map (db m194690) HM
Benjamin R. Wall (1876-1955) started the Grapevine Sun in 1895 at the age of nineteen. It was sold in 1897 to James E. Keeling (1847-1925), a native of England. His son Ed took over as editor in 1912 and published the paper with the help of his . . . — — Map (db m193705) HM
Honoring the 71 Officers who died in the line of duty on September 11, 2001 "Now we have inscribed a new memory alongside those others, It's a memory of tragedy and shock, of loss and mourning. But not only of lose and mourning, it's also a . . . — — Map (db m193767) WM
In 1841, W.S. Peters of Kentucky and associates contracted with the Republic of Texas to bring immigrants to this area. By 1848, Peters Colony land covered nearly 2 million acres in north central Texas, including all of Tarrant County. Speculation . . . — — Map (db m227385) HM
Constructed in 1891, the original Wallis Hotel was located on the northeast corner of Hudgins and Main Streets, four blocks south
of this location. The hotel stood half a block north of the Cotton Belt Railroad Depot, its proximity attracting . . . — — Map (db m193977) HM
This cabin was originally located four miles northwest of Grapevine, Texas,
and part of Peters Colony. The Colony refers to four land grant contracts which
were designed to attract immigrants into the area to settle the land.
The cabin's . . . — — Map (db m244741) HM
This cabin of hand-hewn logs was built along a creek at the edge of the Cross Timbers near the pioneer community of Dove. It originally stood on a headright settled in 1845 by Francis Throop, a Peters colonist from Missouri. J.C.Wiley bought the . . . — — Map (db m147396) HM
In 1888, Zachary Taylor Wall and his wife, Virginia Araminta Jenkins
Wall, daughter of Eli M. Jenkins, purchased this building for their
drug store and confectionery. In 1871, Rev. E. N Hudgins, founder
of the Methodist Church in Grapevine, . . . — — Map (db m193727) HM
Willhoite Tire and Home Store has been listed in the National Register of Historic Places by the United States Department of the Interior 1992 — — Map (db m193582) HM
Eat, drink and step back in time at Main Street's oldest restaurant.
Welcome to Grapevine and its historic Main Street! You are standing in front of one of
the oldest buildings in the city and most unique restaurant in Texas. Where else . . . — — Map (db m193654) HM
Born in 1829 in Tennessee to an itinerant family, Willy had no
place to call home. At an early age he ran away and worked in
the galley of a riverboat until he was old enough to get in on
the gambling. Willy bounced around as a drifter and a . . . — — Map (db m193755) HM
In 1916, John Benjamin Wood (1861-1934) had this building
constructed, contracting with local builder Frank Estill.
Among the features of the building are three bays divided
vertically by four brick piers and horizontally by a . . . — — Map (db m193695) HM