Top O' Hill Terrace
The TEA GARDEN once hosted elegant parties for the rich and famous
Beulah Adams Marshall bought land along the Bankhead Highway in the early 1920s and opened a tea room, but by 1930, Fred Browning had purchased the property and converted it into a casino, adding an escape tunnel and secret room for hiding the gambling paraphernalia during raids.
Known as Top O' Hill Terrace, it thrived during prohibition and was frequented by the rich, the famous and the infamous. A favorite target of firebrand preacher Reverend J. Frank Norris, he built a reputation accompanying law enforcement on surprise raids. It was shuttered in 1947 after a final raid by the Texas Rangers. |
ONE HUNDRED YEARS of wind, rain and erosion are taking their toll.
Reverend Norris died in 1952, and in an ironic twist of fate, the institution he founded that is known today as Arlington Baptist College acquired the foreclosed property in 1956 and has occupied the grounds ever since. The place is aptly named as it occupies one of the highest spots in the county. But the hilltop location puts the woodbine sandstone structures in a precarious spot. One retaining wall has already collapsed and one of the Tea Garden pillars is in imminent danger. Recently, we noticed some of the original roofing tiles on the small gatehouse tower had cracked and fallen to the ground. To find out more about the history of Top O' Hill Terrace, or to make a donation to save these historic structures, visit: TopOHillTerrace.com Or ... check out Our Store for memorabilia and publications about Top O' Hill Terrace and the Bankhead Highway. Every purchase means more money for the repair fund! |
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