TOP O’ HILL TERRACE
Arlington Baptist College
3001 W. Division
Tours by appointment only; Call to schedule: (817) 461 8741, ext. 109
Cost: $5 donation per person
E-mail: vbryant@abconline.org
Top O’Hill Terrace is the hidden gem of Arlington tourism. It’s the best kept secret in town. I’m trying to spread the word so others can learn the colorful background of a little hilltop that went from illegal gambling hall to a Baptist college.
Already a Texas Historic Landmark, the Top O’ Hill brochure rightfully proclaims “From Pokers to Preachers, sermons and hymns now ring across the terraced hills which once hummed with the playing of slot machines and roulette wheels.”
Before Las Vegas became the gambling mecca of America, a hilltop in Arlington was the destination point for some of the biggest names in show business and sports after The Top O’ Hill tea room opened in 1926. Over the next 20 years, the visiting luminaries included the likes of: Howard Hughes, boxer Joe Louis, Bonnie & Clyde, Jack Dempsey, Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, Buster Keaton, W.C. Fields, Gene Autry, Will Rogers, Hedy Lamarr, Lana Turner, Bugsy Siegel, Tommy Dorsey & his orchestra, Mae West, Walter Winchell, Amarillo Slim, Tom Mix….and some guy called John Wayne. Ginger Rogers, a local girl, used to dance here. Jack Ruby used to gamble here (that’s right, the guy who shot Oswald).
What would bring the crème-de-la-crème to a little tea room in west Arlington? How about an illegal gambling hall in the basement…complete with hidden tunnels so that patrons could scramble to safety when the Texas Rangers law enforcement agents would raid the hill! Roulette wheels were behind hidden walls – turn the wall and you couldn’t find the gambling equipment.
Oh yeah, a little thing called Prohibition made it illegal to sell alcohol, but you can bet the alcohol was even more plentiful as the poker chips. Bootleggers used to run whiskey to the hill.
The hidden tunnels were dug by Chinese workers. The tunnels led towards the tea room. By the time the Rangers would make it to the basement, the patrons had already scrambled up to the team room – acting as though they were simply in town to enjoy some tea and a good meal. Security was tight. At least 20 guards were on the look-out (some hidden in tree tops) to keep an eye open for police and Texas Rangers.
A gambler named Benny Binion won some money here and took it to Vegas to open a little place called the Horseshoe Casino (I told you Arlington was Vegas before Vegas!).
The location was perfect. The hill is 1,000 feet high, the highest point in Tarrant County. It’s located on W. Division which used to be the old Bankhead Hwy, the main highway between Dallas and Ft Worth.
But the Top O’ Hill Terrace wouldn’t survive much longer following the final law enforcement raid which took place in 1947.
For years, a local Baptist preacher named J. Frank Norris tried to shut down this den of iniquity. He once vowed, “One of these days we are going to own the place!” Lo and behold, in 1956 the Bible Baptist Seminary purchased the property and converted Top O’Hill from a casino to a seminary. Now it’s called Arlington Baptist College and boasted an enrollment of 170 students in spring ’09.
The basement which was the gambling hall? Now it’s the cafeteria’s kitchen. The on-site bordello became a women’s dormitory.
The wife of the current college president is the driving force behind the historical research and tours. Her name is Vickie Bryant. She schedules and conducts the tours by appointment only. E-mail her at vbryant@abconline.org or call her at (817) 461 8741.
Our entire tour took about 1 ¼ hours. You meet in the visitors’ center of Arlington Baptist College. Vickie does an excellent power-point presentation/slide-show and explains the history…this takes about 45 minutes. Then you walk down to the cafeteria/kitchen and look at the “hidden tunnels”. You do NOT go in the tunnels…you only look. Then you take a walk to the outdoor terrace, and then walk over to a little horse stable which is now a little museum.
I highly recommend this tour. It’s great for Sunday School classes, church groups, Red Hat ladies’ clubs…and anyone who enjoys history and a fun story.
Sept. 23, 2009
I visited with Mrs Bryant yesterday & enjoyed every minute . As I left I walked around the old tea garden & wanted so much to be able to bring in plants & help with new landscaping. The stone walls are still good & so are the heavy iron gates. The perguala could use some work, but it would not take to much to repair the roof. Restoration repairs bring surprise cost, but I still think it could be done.
I wish some of the Arlington Garden Clubs could pitch in & help.
There is a sprinkler system, but I am not sure it works. The tea garden would be a perfect place for roses because of the sun.
The seminary does not have the staff to keep the garden up. It is a shame because Mrs. Bryant told me she had request to have weddings & luncheons there constantly. It seems to me it could be a source of income for them if she could get the help .
This is a delightful tourist glimps into the past & unless you have stood on that hill & watched the sun setting you really have not seen the best of Arligton.
Mrs. Bryant spoke to our HOA gathering and we all loved hearing about this great secret. Can’t wait to spread the word to my friends.
🙂