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A local historian who worked locally as a Lake Geneva Cruise Line captain and Black Point tour guide was killed in a hit-and run crash in Lake Worth Beach, Florida, on Friday, March 11.
“Sad news from Black Point today. Long tenured tour guide, Jim Beloian was killed by a hit and run motorist while bicycling in Florida on March 11,” Black Point Estate and Garden announced on its Facebook page Monday, March 14. Beloian was 74.
“Jim was an amazing storyteller and good friend to Black Point and was part of the original opening team. If you knew Jim, you know he loved life, adventure, and most of all bicycling.”
Beloian bicycled around all five great lakes, the entire length of the Mississippi River and recently retraced the D-Day invasion route from Omaha Beach to the Rhine River, the post stated. He was planning a cycling trip this summer from Wisconsin’s lowest point to its highest.
He was also a boat captain for the Lake Geneva Cruise Line.
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“His blue beret and sandals were a welcome sight at Black Point. He will be missed,” the post stated.
20 photos from Black Point, where time stands still
Off the veranda
Black Point is opening for the 2020 season, limiting guests and allowing tours by reservation only.
Meet Dave Desimone
Dave Desimone, site director for Black Point Estate & Gardens, has announced that the facility has been temporarily closed to the public after an employee tested positive for the coronavirus.
Community programs
Black Point staff also connect with the community through various programs, including walking tours in Lake Geneva. Steve Person, pictured, has led “Angels Carried Them Away: Death and Mourning in the Victorian Era,” a program on funeral and mourning customs.
120 steps up from the lake
Guests arrive at Black Point by boat, from the Riviera in Lake Geneva. Across Geneva Lake, up 120 stairs, lies the 20-room “cottage” finished in 1888 for Chicago beer baron Conrad Seipp.
Flowers everywhere
Some of the plants near the Black Point veranda.
The tower
Arguably the most iconic feature of the Black Point home is its observation tower.
Up the stairs
Another popular attraction at Black Point is the stairwell of the tower.
Down the stairs
The view down the tower stairwell.
A life of luxury
Inside Black Point, the furnishings in each room present an idea of the luxury in which the Seipp family lived when they spent their days on Geneva Lake.
Touched by green thumbs
More evidence of the skilled green thumbs working at Black Point Estate & Gardens.
The doll house
When the Black Point property was donated to the state, one of the items that came along with it was this doll house, which remained in the Seipp family for generations. In 2005, the doll house was restored by the Royal Joy Williams Questers, a group volunteers who help fix and preserve artifacts for historical sites.
Conrad Seipp Brewing Co. ad 1
A German immigrant, Conrad Seipp started making beer in Chicago in 1854, according to the Encyclopedia of Chicago. In 1872, he organized the Conrad Seipp Brewing Co., which coincidentally has just been revived by Seipp’s great-great-great-granddaughter, Laurin Mack.
Conrad Seipp Brewing Co. ad 2
Another vintage ad for the Conrad Seipp Brewing Co.
Songbooks
Songs of yesterday, preserved in books kept at the piano in Black Point.
As it was
Most everything in Black Point is actually kept as it likely was back in the days of Conrad Seipp.
More labor of love
Another restoration project by local Questers was a book case at Black Point. Here, Dave Desimone pulls back a protective cover to reveal the restoration.
Keeping time
Four antique clocks at Black Point were also restored the Kishwaketoe Questers.
Garden plan
The master garden plan from 2018 highlighted several phases of landscaping and construction work to be done on the property.
Fresh plantings
Also from 2018: The stone walkway leading to what were then new plants at Black Point Estate & Gardens.
Growing a garden
Roy Diblik, owner of Northwind Perennial Farm, seen here watering the plants of Black Point’s woodland garden in 2018.