1883 County Courthouse Tarrant County's roots lie in the 'Old
West' and much of our heritage can be traced to the era of the
cowboy and the cattle drives that passed through Tarrant County.
Tarrant County is one of 254 counties in Texas which were
originally set up by the State to serve as decentralized
administrative divisions providing state services and collecting
state taxes. Tarrant County, one of 26 counties created out of
the Peters Colony, was established in 1849. It was named for
General Edward H. Tarrant, commander of militia forces of the
Republic of Texas at the Battle of Village Creek in 1841. The
village of Grapevine; the Texas Ranger outpost of Johnsonís
Station (in what is now south Arlington); and Birdís Fort, a
short-lived private fort just south of present-day Euless, were
early areas of western civilization in the region. On the bluff
where the Tarrant County Courthouse now stands, a military post
was established in 1849 by a company of the 2nd U.S. Dragoons
under the command of Major Ripl