Opened in 1923 ----First Mention in a paper 1929
BUERY’S GROVE
Beury’s Grove, Barry Township, Schuylkill County, once a popular public summer resort is now a privately owned resort known as Moon Lake under management of the Moon Lake Association. The resort is located at the foot of the Buckhorn Mountain (east) bordered on the south by Broad Mountain, open farm land on the north and west and overlooks the beautiful Deep Creek Valley.
During the early 1900’s, Harvey E. Beury and his wife Alice Beury, purchased the land from his parents John Buery and Sarah Beury and farmed the land with portions of it being used as a cow pasture/meadow. Milk from the farm was sold to Greens Dairy, Ashland, and produce was huckstered to the Buck Run/Minersville area.
A small stream (Buckhorn Creek) starting at the foot of the Buckhorn Mountain along with many pure water springs surfacing at the site gave Harvey the idea to harness the water and create a lake. In 1920, with this in mind, the Beury’s a family of ten, two boys and eight girls, and several employees, cleared the area by cutting down trees which covered the area leaving only the stumps. This was the first step of what would , three years later, turn into a 12 acre man-made lake.
The next phase of the project was the digging of the terrain using picks and shovels and a hand-held slip scoop dredge pulled by a horse. This was followed by the cementing of the breast of the dam (25 feet wide), slightly S-shaped and approximately 400 feet in length. It contained four spillways (overflows) and has a main valve which could be opened or closed to regulate the depth of the water. The lumber for the forms were obtained from Beury’s own sawmill nearby. The cementing was done manually by the family using a gasoline powered cement mixer.
After the water was harnessed, in order to remove the remaining tree stumps, that year during the winter months, the water was lowered to stump level. Following freezing over of the ground, the roots of the stumps were uplifted and were removed the following spring by chains and horse power.
Beury’s brainstorm was the beginning of a popular summer resort “Beury’s Grove” which opened in 1923. Over the years the resort provided many activities: swimming, boating, canoeing, fishing, camping, picnic area, dance hall and band shell. It also had ice-skating and a few other amusements making it one of the most popular recreation centers in this area.
The grove opened daily at 8 a.m. and closed at midnight. Admission to the grove was set at 10 cents. During World War II, servicemen and women in uniform along with members of the Salvation Army were admitted free. Price was later increased to 25 cents due to rising costs of operation. Following the opening of the grove, the property around the lake was leased and many cabins and cottages were erected but had to meet with Beury’s specifications.
Shortly after many of these cottage/cabin owners formed the Beury’s Grove Association. The first cottage was erected by Hiram Bensinger and is now occupied by James Hepler. At the opening the only concession was a hot dog stand. Fresh water for the grove was supplied by gravity from a nearby mountain. The water was directed to a six-foot water wheel which powered a mechanical pump. This was later converted to an electric system.
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