I was born in Arlington but grew up in the neighboring town of Mansfield. Growing up, Arlington was always the big city next door. After 24 years in Mansfield, I was looking for something different. Moving to Arlington seemed like a natural choice, so that’s what I did in 2007.
Even after more than 15 years in this city, I still felt like a stranger or a tourist more than a resident. When I finally started exploring Arlington in depth, it led to a voracious interest in local history and wanting to learn everything I could about my hometown.
I joined the Arlington Historical Society in 2021 where my love of local history began to grow. In addition to serving as a board member, I author our newsletters and manage our Facebook page. I consider myself an “Arlington Advocate,” especially when it comes to local history and lesser-known stories, and I enjoy sharing my discoveries. Even though I’m still learning about this city and its history, it’s become a passion of mine.
In 2023, I proudly received the Debbie Reynolds-Hazen Memorial Award at the Tarrant County Historical Commission Annual Summit. The award is in honor of local historic preservationist Debbie Reynolds-Hazen (1953-2010) and given to recognize an individual under 50 years of age for showing leadership in collecting and preserving the history of Tarrant County. To say the least, I was quite honored to receive it.
I’ve become something of an Arlingtonist—a word (I think) I invented, meaning someone who studies Arlington. As a writer, local historian, archivist, photographer, and something of an urban explorer, Arlington is as my primary subject and maybe even a muse.
Arlington is indeed my home, but I venture past the city limits whenever I can, and I especially like visiting small towns. I prefer the road less traveled and creating my own adventure. On my travels, whether across town or across the state, you’ll often find me reading Texas Historical Markers or taking photos of architecture.
When not exploring or writing about my hometown, I enjoy listening to music (especially Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin), watching documentaries, photography, and searching for the perfect pint of Guinness. An ice cold can of Shiner Bock works, too. I live in Arlington with my wife, Jennifer, and our cats—Cavender, Merry, Milo, Harvey, and Missy.
Jason S. Sullivan, 10-10-25
Arlington, Texas
About my website
I started this blog in 2019 to have a place for my writing. Since then, I’ve changed directions a few times—first posting essays, then poetry, and then finally a self-indulgent (and probably ridiculous) attempt at chronicling my journey as a writer. It took some trial and error to figure out what I wanted to do with this website and, more precisely, how to do it.
While I do this blog for as a hobby, I want it to lead to something more prominent in the future. My goal is to grow from writing blogs to writing books, although the journey is better than the destination. I do what I do because I enjoy it.
Jason S. Sullivan 