Showing posts with label Beulah Beach. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Beulah Beach. Show all posts

Friday, July 3, 2020

Beulah Beach in the News – Part 2

Continuing with my potpourri of vintage Beulah Beach news clippings...

As the years went by, news articles about the annual convention at Beulah Beach of the Christian and Missionary Alliance began to include little capsule histories of the property.

This clipping from the July 26, 1941 Sandusky Register notes, “A banner year in attendance is expected at the 55th annual missionary convention and Bible conference of the Christian and Missionary Alliance, central district, at Beulah Beach, midway between Huron and Vermilion, from Aug. 1 to 10, and where such conferences have been held for the past 20 years.

“For 35 years, they were held at old Beulah Park, east of Cleveland, but larger and more suitable quarters were needed.”

It is interesting that the article points out, “All sessions of the conference will be open to the public and no charge is made for admission to the grounds.”
On my original post about Beulah Beach that consisted mainly of vintage postcards, Harrison Baumbaugh left a very informative comment about the history of the property and how it became a conference center and retreat. He noted that his mother’s step-father, Gottfried Nolte, owned a farm consisting of 90 acres on both sides of Lake Road that he sold to the Christian Missionary Alliance in 1921. Well, here is the clipping about Mr. Nolte’s passing that appeared in the Sandusky Register on May 11, 1942.
These articles that appeared in two Dayton newspapers in August 1945 reveal major post-war expansion plans for Beulah Beach, including the erection of a new hotel, construction of a larger tabernacle as well as 500 cabins.
Dayton Herald, August 25, 1945
Dayton Daily News, August 25, 1945
This article from the Sandusky Register of August 29, 1951 concerns some very unchristian behavior at Beulah Beach.
Here’s a fascinating article from the April 23, 1958 Sandusky Register. It’s about small, rural post offices and includes a look at the one at Beulah Beach. 
The article notes, “Mrs. Eleanor H. Smith, postmaster for the third-class office at Beulah Beach, has a room of her home partitioned off with an outside entrance. She has about 35 to 50 local box holders during the winter and from 75 to 200 at times during the summer.
“Mrs. Smith says her largest single “customer” is the Christian Missionary Alliance there, which sends tons of mail per year and sends a large volume of its material overseas. Overseas mail means more work for the postmaster because foreign regulations come into play on top of local regulations.
“The Beulah Beach office has five deliveries in and four out daily, all by truck routes from Elyria to Sandusky."
Newspaper publicity in the Sandusky Register for the summer convention in 1959 included a few photos, including one of the cabins.
Sandusky Register, July 24, 1959
Sandusky Register, August 8, 1959
The year 1962 was the Diamond Jubilee for the Christian and Missionary Alliance.
Sandusky Register, July 21, 1962
Sandusky Register, July 21, 1962
The Sandusky Register newspaper article of July 21, 1962 included a history of the organization’s conferences. It noted, “The first such conference was held in 1886 at Linwood Park, Vermilion.
“Property was later purchased just eight miles east of Cleveland’s public square, adjacent to Euclid Beach. The facilities, including a tabernacle that seated more than 2,500 persons, eventually proved inadequate.
“The present Beulah Beach property was purchased in 1921 and through the years has been developed as one of the best conference grounds in this part of the country.”

The year 1964 saw the usual newspaper mention of the annual summertime gathering in the Sandusky Register, as well as another interesting look at the Beulah Beach Post Office run by Postmistress Eleanor Smith – this time during the winter.
Sandusky Register, January 17, 1964
Sandusky Register, July 23, 1964
The final clipping is from the Sandusky Register of July 25, 1965.
Sandusky Register, July 24, 1965
The article notes, “A conference feature is to be a baptismal service in Lake Erie next Saturday.” (A Beulah Beach baptism in the lake was featured on a vintage postcard on my original post.)
“It is expected that the hotel, dormitory, and cabins, along with all the privately owned residences, will be filled to capacity. The attendance undoubtedly will exceed anything on record, numbering between four and five thousand people, the Rev. Mr. Clark stated. The public is invited at any time."

Thursday, July 2, 2020

Beulah Beach in the News – Part 1

My post on Beulah Beach from the middle of June contained very little information about its history. To rectify that, here are some various newspaper clippings from over the years that tell the story of its growth and development.

The earliest mention of Beulah Beach in available online newspapers dates back to the summer of 1921, when it was already a destination for fun, as well as Bible conferences.

Sandusky Star-Journal, July 15, 1921
Sandusky Star-Journal, August 17, 1921
That was also the summer when it was announced that the property was purchased by the Christian Missionary Alliance.
Sandusky Star-Journal, August 23, 1921
The article notes, “The association has erected a 100-room hotel at the beach but this year it was necessary to provide 100 tents to accommodate the overflow."
By the next year, it was common to see ads in the newspapers for the annual convention, as well as small personal ads announcing the attendance of some local citizens.
The News-Messenger, August 12, 1922
The News-Messenger, August 25, 1922
Here are the ads from the Fremont News-Messenger announcing the 1924, 1925 and 1926 conferences.
The News-Messenger, August 7, 1924
The News-Messenger, August 8, 1925
The News-Messenger, August 18, 1926
This article from the Akron Beacon Journal of August 9, 1928 notes the large amount of Akronites that would be attending the summer conference at Beulah Beach. “More than 100 tents have been erected at the beach to accommodate the visitors who will come from every section of the country,” the article observes.
Akron Beacon-Journal, August 9, 1928
This article from the News-Journal of June 8, 1929 provides a little background of the Christian and Missionary Alliance. It points out that the mission fields are in 25 different countries in all parts of the world, with more than 500 missionaries.
This article from the August 8, 1930 Sandusky Register reveals the activity schedule for the opening day of the annual conference.
Beulah Beach made the newspapers several times in the spring and summer of 1932, with articles about a March series of meetings, promotion of the summer meeting and even the selection of a Postmaster.
Sandusky Register, March 26, 1932
Sandusky Register, July 16, 1932
Greenville Daily Advocate, July 27, 1932
Sandusky Register, September 25, 1932
Cottages were mentioned in newspaper articles about the 1934 conference in both the Fremont News-Messenger and Sandusky Register. Both articles noted, “The majority of the guests will be housed in two fifty-room buildings, cottages, and tents rented by the association. Scores of others will bring their own camping equipment.”
Fremont News-Messenger, July 25, 1934
Sandusky Register, July 26, 1934
By 1940, the newspaper publicity for the annual Missionary Convention and Bible Conference included a well-written description of the grounds. An article in the July 29, 1940 News-Messenger noted, “Beulah Beach, which is becoming one of the nation’s leading camp grounds, is located four miles west of Vermilion and six miles east of Huron on Routes 6 and 2. Accommodations include rooms, cabins and camping privileges. Meals are served in a cafeteria, and a refreshment stand and grocery are located on the grounds.”
Fremont News-Messenger, July 29, 1940
Next: Into the 1940s, 50s and 60s

Monday, June 15, 2020

Beulah Beach

I’ve been driving by Beulah Beach just about all my life and never really knew too much about the place. It’s located about halfway between Vermilion and Huron on West Lake Road (U. S. Route 6).

Here’s what it says in my copy of Lake Erie Vacationland in Ohio - Revisiting a 1941 Travel Guide to the Sandusky Bay Region:

BEULAH BEACH, 6.9 m, is a summer camp (R) and convention site for members of the Christian Missionary Alliance. Cottages and dormitories accommodate students who come here to get training for home and foreign religious work.

For a more up-to-date description, I consulted its Wiki entry. It said that Beulah Beach is an unincorporated community located in the western part of Vermilion Township, and confirmed that it is still true to its roots after all these years.

"Beulah Beach had its start in 1920 as a Christian commune," it notes. "It currently has a summer camp and retreat center, Beulah Beach Camp and Retreat Center, affiliated with the Christian and Missionary Alliance denomination and a member of the Christian Camp and Conference Association.

But can anyone go there?


The Beulah Beach website notes that it is open to families as well, with a variety of programs. "As a ministry of the Christian Missionary Alliance, amid the demand of the frantic pace of today’s world, Beulah Beach Camp and Retreat Center has been a place of rest, relaxation, & spiritual renewal for guests since 1921,” the website states. 
"Open year round and overlooking the beautiful shores of Lake Erie, Beulah Beach offers guests a relaxed and comfortable place to retreat and be revived in body and spirit. We serve groups of all sizes, the location is ideal, the rooms are comfortable, the food is phenomenal, meeting rooms are spacious and well equipped, and we are within minutes of great attractions.”
Its kind of nice to know that the camp has been around as long as it has.
Here are some vintage postcard views.
I’ve only been on the grounds of Beulah Beach once in my life. Back in the 1960s, we bought my pet hamster (Rufus) from a resident there who raised them as a hobby.

Beulah Beach has only been mentioned on this blog once before. Peck’s Cottages (subject of a multi-post series) is now part of the Beulah Beach complex.