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The establishment was founded by Beulah and Thomas Marshall as a [[tea room]] by 1921, in what had been a large house. It was located on the [[Bankhead Highway]] and was easy to reach from nearby [[Dallas]] and [[Fort Worth, Texas]].<ref name=”:1″ /> The location had a panoramic view of Fort Worth’s skyline.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Worcester |first=Lea |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Legendary_Locals_of_Arlington_Texas/7-13Y4GP26QC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=top+o+hill+terrace+arlington&pg=PA111&printsec=frontcover |title=Legendary Locals of Arlington, Texas |last2=Barker |first2=Evelyn |date=2013 |publisher=Arcadia Publishing |isbn=978-1-4671-0058-8 |pages=111 |language=en}}</ref> It became a popular destination for tea parties, [[bridal showers]], and luncheons, serving famous [[chicken-fried steak]].<ref name=”:1″>{{Cite web |last=Association |first=Texas State Historical |title=The History of Top O’ Hill Terrace: From Tearoom to Nightclub |url=https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/top-o-hill-terrace |access-date=2025-10-17 |website=Texas State Historical Association |language=en}}</ref> |
The establishment was founded by Beulah and Thomas Marshall as a [[tea room]] by 1921, in what had been a large house. It was located on the [[Bankhead Highway]] and was easy to reach from nearby [[Dallas]] and [[Fort Worth, Texas]].<ref name=”:1″ /> The location had a panoramic view of Fort Worth’s skyline.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Worcester |first=Lea |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Legendary_Locals_of_Arlington_Texas/7-13Y4GP26QC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=top+o+hill+terrace+arlington&pg=PA111&printsec=frontcover |title=Legendary Locals of Arlington, Texas |last2=Barker |first2=Evelyn |date=2013 |publisher=Arcadia Publishing |isbn=978-1-4671-0058-8 |pages=111 |language=en}}</ref> It became a popular destination for tea parties, [[bridal showers]], and luncheons, serving famous [[chicken-fried steak]].<ref name=”:1″>{{Cite web |last=Association |first=Texas State Historical |title=The History of Top O’ Hill Terrace: From Tearoom to Nightclub |url=https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/top-o-hill-terrace |access-date=2025-10-17 |website=Texas State Historical Association |language=en}}</ref> |
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In 1930, the Marshalls sold the establishment to Fred and Mary Browning. They converted the tea room into a night club to attract visitors from the [[Arlington Downs]] racing track. The club hosted illegal gambling and prostitution. During [[Prohibition in the United States|Prohibition]], alcohol was also illegally served at the club.<ref name=”:1″ /> The [[gaming tables]] were designed so that they could be flipped upside down to appear like dining tables.<ref name=”:0″ /> |
In 1930, the Marshalls sold the establishment to Fred and Mary Browning. They converted the tea room into a night club to attract visitors from the [[Arlington Downs]] racing track. The club hosted illegal gambling and prostitution. During [[Prohibition in the United States|Prohibition]], alcohol was also illegally served at the club.<ref name=”:1″ /> The [[gaming tables]] were designed so that they could be flipped upside down to appear like dining tables.<ref name=”:0″ /> |
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Criminals [[Bonnie and Clyde]] gambled at the Top O’ Hill but were required to leave their guns in their car.<ref name=”:2″ /> |
Criminals [[Bonnie and Clyde]] gambled at the Top O’ Hill but were required to leave their guns in their car.<ref name=”:2″ /> |
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Latest revision as of 21:19, 18 October 2025
The Top O’ Hill Terrace was a casino and speakeasy in Arlington, Texas.
The establishment was founded by Beulah and Thomas Marshall as a tea room by 1921, in what had been a large house. It was located on the Bankhead Highway and was easy to reach from nearby Dallas and Fort Worth, Texas.[1] The location had a panoramic view of Fort Worth’s skyline.[2] It became a popular destination for tea parties, bridal showers, and luncheons, serving famous chicken-fried steak.[1]
In 1930, the Marshalls sold the establishment to Fred and Mary Browning. They converted the tea room into a night club to attract visitors from the Arlington Downs racing track. The club hosted illegal gambling and prostitution. Fred Browning had experience running illegal gambling establishments, having run the Loma Linda club in Richmond, Texas and the Beau Monde club in Tulsa, Oklahoma. During Prohibition, alcohol was also illegally served at the club.[1] The gaming tables were designed so that they could be flipped upside down to appear like dining tables.[3]
Criminals Bonnie and Clyde gambled at the Top O’ Hill but were required to leave their guns in their car.[4]
The speakeasy entertained celebrities like John Wayne, Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, Howard Hughes, and Sally Rand.[4]
In 1935, the governor of Texas ordered the Texas Ranger Division to raid the establishment. Captain Tom Hickman led the raid, which failed because the establishment had been warned in advance. Hickman was fired on suspicion of warning the establishment. Captain Manuel T. Gonzaullas was sent to raid the establishment in 1947, and successfully caught them engaged in illegal activities.[5]
J. Frank Norris, pastor of the first Baptist Church of Fort Worth, opposed the establishment and vowed to own it. He founded the Baptist Bible Institute, later renamed the Baptist Bible Seminary, which eventually purchased the property in 1956. Norris, who died in 1952, did not live to see it.[6] In 1956, the Baptist Bible Seminary bought the establishment.[3]
The university destroyed many of the former buildings, including the house, the underground casino, and the restaurant kitchen. The guardhouse and iron gate is still in use as the historic gateway.[7]
The building is now the campus of the Arlington Baptist University.
The University of Texas at Arlington and the City of Arlington partnered with Arlington Baptist University to produce an archival history of the terrace.[8]
- ^ a b c Association, Texas State Historical. “The History of Top O’ Hill Terrace: From Tearoom to Nightclub”. Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved 2025-10-17.
- ^ Worcester, Lea; Barker, Evelyn (2013). Legendary Locals of Arlington, Texas. Arcadia Publishing. p. 111. ISBN 978-1-4671-0058-8.
- ^ a b Adams, Matthew (August 31, 2025). “‘A billon-dollar story.’ Inside Top O’ Hill Terrace, Arlington’s palace of vice”. Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
- ^ a b Barker, Evelyn; Worcester, Lea (2011). Arlington. Arcadia Publishing. p. 63. ISBN 978-0-7385-7981-8.
- ^ Cox, Mike (2015-09-07). Gunfights & Sites in Texas Ranger History. Arcadia Publishing. pp. 247–248. ISBN 978-1-62585-487-2.
- ^ Awbrey, Betty Dooley; Dooley, Claude (2005-10-25). Why Stop?: A Guide to Texas Historical Roadside Markers. Simon and Schuster. p. 21. ISBN 978-1-58979-482-5.
- ^ Baker, T. Lindsay (2011-08-31). Gangster Tour of Texas. Texas A&M University Press. p. 281. ISBN 978-1-60344-258-9.
- ^ “Top O’ Hill Terrace – University of Texas at Arlington”. websites.uta.edu. Retrieved 2025-10-17.
