A BALMORAL HISTORY LESSON.......

            A.P. Shoemaker became the General Manager of the prestigious Edgewater Gulf Resort in the mid 1940’s.  The resort was the showplace on the Mississippi Gulf Coast and the focal point of Edgewater Park, a community halfway between Biloxi and Gulfport.  To be close to his workplace, A.P. built a home at 120 Balmoral Avenue in 1948.

Images of the Edgewater Gulf Resort circa 1945

Ten years later, in 1958, A.P. and Frances Shoemaker built a 10-unit Inn on their property and named it The Balmoral Inn.   The Inn included the pool, playground and screened Gazebo picnic area.  A.P. managed the Edgewater Gulf Resort as well as the Balmoral Inn for 25 years and it remained in the Shoemaker family until 1996.

            In 1971, the Edgewater Gulf Resort was demolished to accommodate the development of the Edgewater Mall on that site.  The implosion was carried live on television and witnessed by thousands of residents from the beach and on the water.  Remnants of the resort, the tile floor in the Gazebo and fireplaces in the Innkeeper’s Cottage remain today.

Enjoy the tropical landscaping surrounding our sparkling  swimming pool or relax in the gazebo. The Balmoral Inn screened Gazebo contains a picnic table, chairs and a gas grille available to all guests.  The Gazebo floor is made of Italian tile from the Edgewater Gulf Resort.

            Eddie and Becky Moore purchased the Balmoral Inn from Allison Shoemaker Buchanan in 1996.  Eddie came to Biloxi as manager of the Isle of Capri Hotel and Becky was a long time airline employee.  During the six years the Moores operated the Inn, they added central heat and air conditioning, the circular driveway, the computerized phone system, a new gas grill in the Gazebo and re-built the pool with a fiberglass lining.

            Mike and Deb Lerner became the third owners of the Balmoral Inn in June, 2002.  Mike was an executive at The Weather Channel in Atlanta for 18 years and Deb worked for Eastern Airlines and was a travel agent for many years.  They are developing plans to enhance the retro experience of the classic resort inns of the 1950’s and 1960’s.

The entrance to Edgewater Park off of Highway 90 Located within walking distance to Edgewater Mall

             Through almost 45 years, while the Balmoral Inn has accommodated generations of guests, Edgewater Park has become part of Biloxi and designated a Heritage Neighborhood.  It remains one of the Gulf Coast’s finest communities.  The 350-year-old oak tree across from the Balmoral Inn at the intersection of Balmoral Avenue, Edgewater Drive, Marshall Street, Kenmore Avenue and Barq Street was recently designated a Biloxi landmark.

View the majestic 350-year-old
oak tree across from the Inn.