Top O' Hill Terrace

by Vickie Bryant, Camille Hess

Overview

If the saga of Top O' Hill Casino becoming Arlington Baptist College were written as fiction, readers would dismiss it as improbable and impossible. The story of a tearoom evolving into the gambling hot spot of North Central Texas that was then acquired by a fiery gospel preacher, who foretold its transformation into a Baptist seminary and ultimately an accredited Bible college, is stranger than fiction yet absolutely true. The rich and famous enjoyed rubbing shoulders with the mysterious and notoriously infamous, and if large amounts of money were involved, so much the better. Stir in fabulous racehorses, flashy stage and screen stars, singers, dancers, well-known bandleaders and bands, and the tale becomes enthralling.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780738585277
Publisher:	Arcadia Publishing SC
Publication date:	02/20/2012
Series:	Images of America Series
Pages:	128
Product dimensions:	6.40(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.40(d)

About the Author

Vickie Bryant and Camille Hess have been friends for more than 30 years, and both married Baptist ministers who graduated from Bible Baptist Seminary. Bryant, an Ohio native, began an interest in the school's history when her husband, Dr. David Bryant, was named president of the college. She started researching its colorful past and became founder and curator of the Top O' Hill Collection. Hess, born and raised on Fort Worth's North Side, has managed a medical office and owned an art gallery and antique shop. Currently, she enjoys assisting Bryant in her ongoing search for information.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments 6

Introduction 7

1 A Tearoom: "How Quaint!" 9

2 Gambling Room: "Place Your Bets" 17

3 Workers: "Many Serve the Few" 25

4 Frequent Visitors: "The Rich, the Famous, and the Notorious" 37

5 Horses: "Playing the Ponies" 55

6 Boxers: "Put up Yer Dukes!" 69

7 Raids: "The Wolf at the Door!" 75

8 Prediction: "A Prophecy Comes True" 81

9 Casino to College: "Transformation" 85

10 Marker Dedication: "A Place in History" 121