The Fort Worth City Cable Channel (Charter/Spectrum channel 190) will be offline for a few weeks starting March 11 while facilities connections are being rerouted. You can watch City meetings on the City’s LiveStreams or on our YouTube Channel.
501 E. Bolt St. | Fort Worth, TX 76110
817-392-7740 | history@fortworthtexas.gov
Print at this location
Hours of Operation:
Sunday: Closed
Monday: Closed
Tuesday: 11 AM - 7 PM
Wednesday: 11 AM - 7 PM
Thursday: 11 AM - 7 PM
Friday: 10 AM - 6 PM
Saturday: 10 AM - 6 PM
The staff of the Fort Worth History Center maintain the municipal and local history archives for the City of Fort Worth and offer a variety of services to assist with local history and genealogy research. Our librarians include a genealogy specialist and archivists. The Center also offers unique programs for history fans.
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There are many ways you can experience our local history collection. Researchers are welcome to browse our collection of local yearbooks, books on Fort Worth history, newspapers, maps, and much more when they visit the Fort Worth History Center. Our friendly, professional staff are available to assist you if needed.
Please note: All archival collections and some other materials are stored offsite. Please check the catalog before you visit for a specific item.
Our databases can be accessed with a Fort Worth Public Library card, and cover a variety of topics for researchers and life-long learners. The Fort Worth Public Library's catalog and information about our collections are available online for anyone to search.
Please note: Ancestry.com Library Edition may only be used at the Fort Worth History Center or any of the Fort Worth Public Library locations.
Early Fort Worth News
1873-1882
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
1897-present
Photograph Collection
Fort Worth Labor News
History Geo Research
Previously recorded programs from the Fort Worth Public Library or the Fort Worth History Center are available on demand on YouTube.
This Day in History Local Landmarks
Community History Workshops Oral Histories
Access online
The library has online, keyword searchable access to the finding aids for the collections in the archives. Finding aids are highly detailed tables of contents to archival collections. Finding aids provide biographical or historical information about the person or organization that assembled the collection and an overview of the contents of the collection itself.
Use Finding Aids Search Digital Archives
Access in-person
All archives collections are stored offsite and require three (3) business days notice for retrieval.
The archives collections are open to any researcher wanting to make use of the materials in the collections. Our process for in-person researchers is:
The materials must be handled with care. Researchers may not make any marks on the materials and must leave the documents in their existing arrangement. The archivist will supply researchers with gloves to use while handling photographs.
The genealogy collection's emphasis is on the southern and midwestern states and the thirteen original states, although most of the United States is represented. Limited materials on foreign countries, particularly Great Britain and Western European nations are also available.
Fort Worth History Center offers free access to tools such as Ancestry.com Library Edition* as well as other resources that can help with research of indigenous or enslaved people. A genealogy specialist on staff can also help guide your research.
Online Databases
Ancestry.com Library Edition*
Bibliography of Indigenous Peoples
Heritage Quest Online
Texas Reference Center
*requires use at one of our locations
Citizen Archivists
There are decades of handwritten history in the Fort Worth History Center. You can help make that history more accessible and searchable for our community while safeguarding it for the future by volunteering as a citizen archivist.
Through the FromThePage platform, citizen archivists create, review and edit transcriptions of digital scans of historical Fort Worth documents right from home. Work on one page or dozens! What documents you transcribe and how many are completely up to you.
Joining the transcription effort is simple.
Visit FromThePage.com and click “Sign Up To Transcribe” to create a free account.
Click “Find A Project” and navigate to the Fort Worth Public Library Archives collection.
Select a document and start transcribing! If you need assistance, watch a video tutorial here or email our staff.
If you would like to schedule a school or group visit for an organization, please plan ahead and coordinate with our friendly staff. Email us your request and we will do our best to accommodate your schedule.