Beaumont Inn Newsletter Spring 2006

Dear Friends:

We hope this newsletter finds you well and comforted by the thought that we are just about halfway through the winter season with full steam ahead towards Spring. We took the first two weeks of January off for painting and kitchen maintenance and reopened on Wednesday January 18. Our weather has been very good since then and we have enjoyed many of you for a winter weekend respite here in Historic Harrodsburg. The TAVERN has proven to be a cozy spot for all and continues to be a wonderful addition to the Beaumont Inn. Our special TAVERN rates are still in effect until the first of March so if you get a chance, come visit for a break from those mid-winter blues.

Website: Inn and TAVERN

Please take a look at our new website, as it contains new photos and information along with all the happenings for 2006. A great big thank you to Mark File of Greensboro, NC for the layout and design.

Winter Work

Great changes are in store for a few of our guestrooms throughout the Inn. First of all, we are adding a new Platinum level room in the Greystone House, which should be completed by the middle of March. We have also added a new rate level for the Main Inn, Diamond, where the guestrooms contain either a queen or king size bed plus the added feature of a Dimplex electric fireplace as found in the Platinum rooms for that “cozy up” feeling. These new additions should also be available around the middle of March, if not sooner. You’re gonna love ‘em!

Family Notes

In this edition we would like to introduce a family member whom you may not recognize as one of us! Elaine Dedman, Chuck’s sister in law, has been our Bookkeeper and Payroll Officer for some 20 years. She has an office in the rear wing of the building with all the “comforts” brought about by isolation. Elaine truly is the “behind the scenes instrument” which keeps us all in tune and we are so appreciative of her attention to detail and organization. We share her with her husband Dr. Nick Dedman and their children, John (Assistant Sports Information Director at Butler University, Indianapolis, Indiana) and Amy (Admissions Counselor at Centre College of Danville, Kentucky).

I’ve Lost The List!

Several years ago, after many queries from our visiting guests, Bud and Chuck put together a list of those “famous” folks who have visited the Inn over the years. It really was quite a list when you stop to think that we really are not on the way to anywhere! But nonetheless, as I recall we ended up with about 45 names. I have to admit, some were way before my time but Dad assured me they were big stars in their day. I thought it would be fun to share the list with you and see how many you could identify or remember. Well, I’ve lost the list! So, from memory, here is a quick recall list of some famous folks who have visited with us during my tenure here at the Inn. How many can you identify? Fay Wray, Rosemary Clooney, Lee Marvin, Jon Provost, Pat Boone, Shirley Jones, Jay Silverheels, Anthony Zerbe, Barbara Barrie, Kathryn Kinney, Victoria Principal, Bob Hope, Pee Wee Reece, William Shatner, Nick Clooney, George Blanda, Sandra Day O’Connor, Bernard Shaw, George Lopez, Richard Simmons, Rick Dees, George Clooney and Edgar Bergen/Charlie McCarthy*. (*Mr. Bergen visited the Inn before I was born and rumor has it he did not let Charlie McCarthy out of the car! For those of us too young to remember, Mr. Bergen was a famous ventriloquist with “dummy” partner Charlie McCarthy and he was also the voice of Mortimer Snerd and Effie Klinker.)

Daughters College 1856-1894

A bit of Did You Know? John Augustus Williams established Daughters College, forerunner of Beaumont College and Beaumont Inn, in 1856. Dr. Williams, whose descendants still live in Harrodsburg today, was born September 21, 1824 in Bourbon County, Kentucky. Entered Bacon College of Harrodsburg, Kentucky at 15 years of age and graduated in 1843 under the tutelage of College President Dr. James Shannon (who built Aspen Hall, our next door neighbor, in 1839). Upon graduation, studied law but realized his interest was in education and spent the next several years dedicated to the education of young women throughout Kentucky, then Missouri. He returned to Kentucky in 1856 and bought the present property containing the Greenville Magnesian Springs and building where he established Daughters College. “The name was given to the school to express the two fundamental ideas of its educational system – that it was both a school that should be collegiate in its curriculum and methods, combined with a home that should meet the social and domestic wants of girls away from their parents.” Throughout its history, Daughters College was dedicated to producing professional teachers to advance the educational needs of the young ladies of the period. As an example of its popularity and respect in these endeavors, the year 1887 found an enrollment of 150 students representing 15 states. (Blandin. History of Higher Education of Women in the South. 1909.

Call Today!

Enough history already, look over our Calendar of Events and Special Packages for 2006 and give us a call. Whether it be a quick visit for a taste of the TAVERN or an extended stay to discover several of our region’s small town treasures (Helen has a long list!) with Beaumont Inn as your home base, we look forward to seeing you soon. Remember, Spring is just around the corner!