Top O’ Hill Timeline

1921: Beulah Adams Marshall found Top O’ Hill Terrace as a teahouse. The venue hosts dinner parties and tea parties for the refined ladies of Fort Worth and Dallas. Situated along Bankhead Highway (now Division Street), the teahouse is a prominent social spot with news featured in the society columns of both cities.

1930: Fred and Mary Browning purchase Top O’ Hill Terrace. They convert the tearoom into a casino, adding an escape route and secret room for hiding gambling paraphernalia. During Prohibition, the casino also serves bootleg alcohol. Patrons are checked at the gate to minimize the risk of police raids.

February 1933: Top O’ Hill Terrace is raided by Constable Shaw, Deputy Ike Body, and Deputy Sheriff Frank Rimmer. The raid results in the confiscation of gambling objects, including two roulette wheels, a craps table, and other gaming devices.

March 31, 1933: The grand jury decides not to indict Fred Browning on charges of operating a gambling table and bank. The Brownings are absolved of all charges, and the casino reopens within a few months.

March 4, 1936: Judge Bruce Young of the 48th District Court orders the destruction of the confiscated items from the 1933 raid, resulting in approximately $7,000 in damages.

1947: Texas Rangers Captain Manuel T. “Lone Wolf” Gonzaullas, accompanied by three men, bypasses the casino’s guardhouse and enters through the woods. They manage to access the casino unnoticed and catch patrons attempting to flee through a tunnel. Gonzaullas files only misdemeanor charges to protect the identities of prominent society members involved. The threat of daily visits from Gonzaullas puts significant strain on the casino, contributing to its gradual decline.

1947: Top O’ Hill Terrace closes its doors permanently due to the aftermath of the raid and the ensuing decline.

1952: Fred Browning sells the property.

1953: Fred Browning passes away.

Timeline of J. Frank Norris and Arlington Baptist University 

1877 September 18: J. Frank Norris is born in Dadeville, Alabama. 

1898-1903: Norris graduates from Baylor University. 

1903-1905: Norris graduates from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. 

1905-1907: Norris serves as the pastor at McKinney Avenue Baptist Church. 

1907-1909: Norris becomes the editor of the Baptist Standard. 

1909: Norris sells his interest in the Baptist Standard and becomes the pastor of First Baptist Church of Fort Worth. 

1926: Norris is involved in a controversial incident where he shoots and kills a man in self-defense at his church. 

1927: Norris establishes the Fundamental Bible Institute, focusing on systematic Bible study, radio, and correspondence. 

1931: Norris announces the Pre-Millennial Bible Conference and Southwestern Pre-Millennial Bible School, emphasizing pastoral training, encouragement, challenge, and Bible teaching. 

1935: Norris accepts the pastorate at Temple Baptist Church in Detroit, MI, while maintaining his position at Fort Worth. 

1939: The institution Norris founded holds its first classes in October. 

1945: The institution’s name is changed to Bible Baptist Seminary. 

1952: J. Frank Norris passes away. The seminary’s classes are temporarily transferred to Downtown Fort Worth. 

1953: Dr. Earl K. Oldham is named president of the seminary. 

1955: The seminary is transferred to Top O’ Hill and renamed Arlington Baptist College.