Parks

Arrow S Park

Dedication

1918

Size

37.8 acres

Additional amenities

Boat Ramp for Lake Worth
Portable Toilets
Shelter
Parking
Electricity
Stand Alone Swings
Bike Rack

History

Arrow S Park is one of numerous parks located around Lake Worth. The City of Fort Worth acquired more than 2,000 acres of land for the construction of the lake and held title to the land surrounding it. Much of the lake’s shoreline was leased to individuals and commercial and private interests for use as camp and club sites or lakeside residences. Some of these sites became public parks when their leases expired. The parks were not officially designated as city parks until November 1970, Arrow S Park being one of them.

Arrow S had its origins as a recreational club for Swift & Co. employees (the “S” in the name standing for Swift). A newspaper article from 1919 mentions “Swift Camp” once being the farm of an elderly formerly enslaved African American. The camp was described as being south of the Moslah Mosque and the site of numerous cottages and other buildings. A c. 1923 map of Lake Worth shows Arrow S Club on the shore of the lake, southeast of Mosque Point at the present location of Arrow S Park. Newspaper articles from the 1920’s to the 1950’s mention the club in reference to golf tournaments and baseball, basketball, and bowling leagues as well as references to company and other picnics held at the Lake Worth site. In 1957, a committee of five from the club appeared before the park board to protest the board’s plan to develop part of their lease for a public park. The board deferred its plan and granted the club a year extension on its lease. However, by July 1962, the park board was pressing park director Campbell “to move with all speed to open Arrow S facilities to the public.” As late as 1965, newspaper articles mentioned clubs holding events at “Swift Arrow S Camp.” The Swift name lingered for a few more years. A list of parks published in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram in 1980 referred to the park as “Arrows [sic] (Swift).”

The park contains approximately 37.8 acres with a playground, grills and a boat ramp. Additionally, Arrow S Park is one of 21 official canoe launch sites for the Trinity River Paddling Trail which is a 130-mile stretch of the Trinity River between Fort Worth and Dallas. https://trinitycoalition.org/launch-sites-map

View animal, plant and insect species observed at Arrow S Park and make some of your own observations through iNaturalist. See link under the "Related information" Section.

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