UT Arlington: Old Arlington & The Hill

UTA grew up beside Arlington's original town, and this walk connects the campus to the neighborhoods that shaped it. It starts among the school's older buildings, then heads north past a New Deal-era post office to a park of relocated pioneer log houses. From there it climbs into The Hill, the only section of early Arlington set aside for African American residents, with its historic churches and school, before returning along Abram Street to a 1907 house on the old interurban line. Plan on about two miles; most sites are private or active churches, so view them respectfully from outside.

UT Arlington grew up beside the city's original townsite. This longer walk of about two miles connects the university's early history with the neighborhoods around it.

On campus, College Hall dates to the school's years in the Texas A&M System and served as its library from 1926. Nearby, a small park keeps pieces of a 1936 dormitory which UTA Libraries identifies as the state's first coed residence hall.

Off campus, Knapp Heritage Park preserves early Arlington buildings moved there for safekeeping, including an 1863 log house and the city's oldest surviving schoolhouse. Arlington Historical Society volunteers open it on weekends. At the center of the story is The Hill, the one section of the early town reserved for Black residents, who began settling there in the 1890s. Its churches and neighborhood school reflect a long history of faith, education and perseverance that many locals don't know. Several sites are private property or active congregations, so view them from the sidewalk.