Written by Jason S. Sullivan

Paper and Progress: The Legacy of the Arlington Journal Newspaper

The Arlington Journal, first published 1897, had a nearly 125-year run, merging with the Arlington Citizen to become the Arlington Citizen-Journal. The newspaper ceased publication in 2019 due to rising costs and changing reading habits. Presented here is a brief overview of its history.

Arlington Journal Nameplate—1905
Photo Credit: The Portal to Texas History

A long-running newspaper tells the story of a town in a way that nothing else can.

On July 30, 1897, George A. Byus printed the first edition of the Arlington Journal newspaper by using a pre-owned hand press in a small shed. While not the town’s first newspaper, it would exist in one form or another for nearly 125 years. Imagine the news and notables, the trials and triumphs, the stories and sagas that were inked across those pages during that time.

Believed to be the press room of the Arlington Journal, about 1908.
Photo Credit: Arlington Historical Society and TSHA.org

Arlington Journal Nameplate—August 5, 1910
This nameplate featured the Arlington Mineral Well and depictions of Arlington agriculture.
Photo Credit: Arlington Printing Company, The Portal to Texas History, and TSHA.org

The Arlington Citizen newspaper was established in 1934 and initially a rival to the Arlington Journal. In 1957, the two merged their operations to cut costs, however, they each continued to print separate editions. The Arlington Citizen-Journal began publication in 1969, and it’s believed circulation hit about 60,000 subscribers at its peak.

The “C-J,” as it was often known, was eventually purchased by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. The paper was later renamed the Arlington Star-Telegram, only to revert to the Arlington Citizen-Journal nameplate in 2010.

After decades of news, the final headline arrived. In December 2019, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram ceased printing of the Arlington Citizen-Journal—and a few other smaller, local newspapers—due to rising costs, dwindling subscribers, and changing reading habits. Indeed, smartphones and social media, along with computers and the Internet, contributed to the demise of many small newspapers worldwide, rendering them nearly obsolete.

[Oh, the irony. Reading about something that was nearly killed by the thing you’re using to read it!]

Below is the front page of the August 20, 1897 edition of the Arlington Journal—Vol. 1, No. 4. Although tattered and faded, it may be the newspaper’s oldest surviving copy.

Arlington Journal—August 20, 1897—Vol. 1, No. 4
Photo Credit: The Portal to Texas History

This newspaper, along with countless others, can be accessed through The Portal to Texas History. They say print journalism is dead, but it becomes immortal once it’s digitized, right?

Did you know?

William A. Bowen, namesake of Bowen Road in Arlington, became editor of the Arlington Journal in 1908.

George H. Hawkes, namesake of the Downtown Arlington Library, began publishing the Arlington Citizen in 1946 and continued published after it became the Arlington Citizen-Journal.

Additional Reading

Blog post by Jason S. Sullivan, 07-30-25

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