Beurys Lake, Pennsylvania
Beurys Lake () is a census-designated place in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 133 at the 2000 census. Geography Beurys Lake is located at (40.717942, -76.379373). According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of , of which is land and 2.50% is water. Demographics At the 2000 census there were 133 people, 58 households, and 38 families living in the CDP. The population density was . There were 128 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the CDP was 100.00% White. Of the 58 households 29.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.1% were married couples living together, 3.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.8% were non-families. 27.6% of households were one person and 6.9% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 2.82. The age distribution was 20.3% under the age of 18, 6.0% from 18 to 24, 30.1% from 25 to 44, 30.8% from 45 to 64, and 12.8% 65 or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 112.0 males. The median household income was $45,000 and the median family income was $55,833. Males had a median income of $38,750 versus $18,750 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $24,247. There were 8.8% of families and 7.3% of the population living below the poverty line, including 11.1% of under eighteens and none of those over 64. History Beury's Grove Harvey E Beury (1871-1965) and his wife Alice Hubler Beury (1871-1952) began creating the Beury's Lake in 1920 by creating a dam on Deep Creek (then also known as Buckhorn Creek) and removing the trees and stumps from the surrounding area. "Beury's Grove" opened in 1923 as a swimming attraction at "Beury's Lake" with a 10 cent admission fee. Later additions included cottages for rent or sale, boating, canoeing, fishing, and camping. Facilities included a picnic area, dance hall, and band shell. Entertainment included local bands and as well as celebrities such as the Lone Ranger. Mountain Valley Lake Beury's Grove, Inc began seeking a buyer for the grove in 1957 which culminated in the sale to a group of private investors called Mountain Valley Lake, Inc in 1962. Despite the corporation changing the attraction's name to "Mountain Valley Lake," most references included the parenthetical "Formerly Beury's Grove" since that name remained in common use. Competition from other area attractions (for example, Knoebel's Grove which started as a similar summer swimming site and continued to expand into an amusement park with thrill rides) and changing social interests led to decreasing attendance and financial difficulties for Mountain Valley Lake. The corporation faced a sheriff's sale in 1970. The lake closed for the 1971 season and permanently in 1974. The corporation then tried to sell the location