Beatley's

Beatley's, 1952.

Beatley’s On-the-Lake Hotel on Indian Lake, in Russells Point, Ohio (about halfway between Cincinnati and Toledo). The hotel, nicknamed "Beastley's on the Bayou" by Steve Schultheis, was the site of Midwestcon from 1951–1953.

Midwestcon left for reasons which are probably multifactorial. One reason was that at Midwestcon 4 in 1953, the proprietor would not rent a room to an African-American fan, Bev Clark; she and her traveling companions, Buck Coulson and Gene DeWeese, left. (However, the previous year, another Black fan, Bob Turner, attended Midwestcon 3 and spoke at the banquet without incident, so we are left to wonder whether Turner slept elsewhere, Clark was refused a room due to a new Jim Crow policy or because she was a Black woman traveling with two white men, or some other reason.)

Also, at Midwestcon 4, according to Coulson, “Randy Garrett was surprised by the house detective in a compromising situation, there were blows exchanged, and the convention was invited to go somewhere else.” 7th Fandom’s rowdy uprising also contributed. (See Midwestcon 4 for details.)

According to Bob Tucker, writing in Psychotic 15 (September 1954):

Beastley's-on-the-Bayou poctsarcd.
(Thanks to Taral Wayne for the scan.)

The large rambling lakeside hotel at Indian Lake, about twelve miles distant [from Bellefontaine, Ohio, where Midwestcon 5 moved in ’54], was lost to the Midwestcon this year for two general reasons. First, the accumula­ted rowdyism of 3 consecutive years was more than the good woman could stand; and second, the late meeting date this year would have cut in on her lucrative vacation trade. There had been a great deal of blame placed on what might be called 7th Fandom rowdyness for the loss of the lake hotel, although misbehavior was rampant long before 7th Fandom was born.  Actually the teen-age hooligans are only half to blame for our getting booted out -- perhaps half a dozen quite-adult hooligans contributed their share to Mrs. Beastley's breakdown. 

An elderly couple, not related in any way, each made a nuisance of themselves year after year. A young couple, again not related, created a particularly unpleasant scene last year. Individual adults who persisted in exhibiting their personalities contributed to the expulsion. All these, plus the young fans who just couldn't resist raising hell, caused Beastley's-on-the-Bayou to become only a memory.

Around 1972, the hotel was torn down to expand Beatley's Holiday Harbor mobile home community.

From Fancyclopedia 2, ca. 1959

The popular Ohio resort hotel on Indian Lake; scene of the Midwestcons till things got too 7th Fandom-like for the Beatleys to stand. Randy Garrett is credited with the byname, "Beastley's on the Bayou".

From Fancyclopedia 2 Supplement, ca. 1960

Apparently this tag for the resort (Beatley's) on Indian Lake, where the early Midwestcons were held, was coined by Steve Schultheis in the April '52 Cleveland SFS Bulletin, rather than (as I originally declared) by Randall Garrett.

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Venue

1951—1953

This is a venue page, covering buildings from 4-star hotels to slan shacks. Please include only structures of major fannish significance. See Standards for Venues.