Tales of the ‘no-tell motel’

Published 12:39 am Saturday, July 1, 2006

Last Saturday, we ran a photograph of the ruins of Three Mile Court on Highway 145 South and asked readers to send in their memories of the place.

Everywhere we’ve been this week, people have asked, usually with a wink and a nudge, “So, tell me, did you get any responses?”

Our answer: “Sure, we got responses, lots of them.” The next question was, “What did they say? Did they sign their names? Can I read them?”

“Sure, you can read them,” we said. “You can read them Saturday in The Meridian Star.”

So, here’s the story we promised you when we ran the photograph last week. Some people signed their names, some people sent anonymous letters and e-mails — which, given Three Mile’s reputation, is understandable.

Three Mile Court was, apparently, no ordinary motel. Some people who wrote in called it a “no-tell motel,” others a “hot pillow joint.” But, what seems clear is that hanky-panky went on there.

People disagree about when Three Mile Court closed. Or whether it closed, only to reopen later, or whether the nightclub part closed but the motel stayed open.

The nightclub part, Three Mile Inn, was targeted in the late 1960s during an effort to clean up a handful of clubs officials said were “public nuisances.”

Retired Chancery Judge George D. Warner Jr. was district attorney at the time, and he led the charge, filing a nuisance lawsuit in Lauderdale County Chancery Court on behalf of the state of Mississippi. Illegal gambling — blackjack, dice and craps — were the principal vices listed in the April 1969 complaint.

It’s unclear whether the complaint also included Three Mile Court, the 12 little bungalows up on the hill.

Some courthouse sources say the Three Mile Inn question resolved itself, in a way, when the nightclub burned down before the case could come to trial and/or the owners agreed to close down without a fight because they didn’t want to run up a bill for legal fees.

The names of other clubs targeted during the same campaign that shut down Three Mile Inn will be familiar to Meridianites. Chancery Court documents list them as: Little Margaret’s, Club 80, Shoemaker’s Court, Club Chafon and the King of Clubs.

What happened to them is another story for another day. In the meantime, here are the letters and e-mails about Three Mile Court and Three Mile Inn sent by Meridian Star readers.

Get a fresh cup of coffee — this will take awhile.



•••



“I purchased the property about three months ago from Mrs. Ann Neely, widow of the late Cleve Neely. From what I was told by Mrs. Neely, the motel was actually called Three Mile Court. Three Mile Inn was a bar north of the motel on Highway 145, which was burned down by arsonists.

“The Neelys also owned the White Castle Bar, also located on Highway 145. The White Castle Bar has been operating since the 1950s and was still open for business until a few weeks ago. I’m about to demolish the White Castle due to its deteriorating foundation and appearance.

“After the demolition and dirt work is completed, I plan on placing different parcels of the 54 acres on the market for sale.”



Jeff Jackson, owner

Jackson Forest Products



•••



“Of course, I cannot reveal my name, but I do remember the Three Mile Inn. It was the local no-tell motel! It was very discreet, with the garage doors that maintained privacy for the automobiles which arrived there. No questions were asked, there was a small fee involved for rent. It was very clean, with crisp sheets and bedding, and air-conditioning. As I recall, there was no time limit, but of course no one stayed very long. It served its purpose.”



Anonymous



•••



“Thanks for the smile brought on by the Three Mile Inn photo. I’m sure you may hear a few newlywed stories, where the couples were too poor to go anywhere else and spent their wedding night there — but the truth of the Three Mile Inn I don’t expect you to get.

“Three Mile Inn was close enough to town to get back home before unsuspecting wives and husbands could figure out what their spouses were up to.

“It was a place where the prominent and not-so-prominent parked their cars behind closed doors in the seclusion of anonymity to do what they would in hopes of not getting caught. Those patrons usually rented the bungalows by the hour, but that varied with the time constraints of the patrons.

“It was a place where prostitutes worked and a place frequented by girlfriends in hopes of being the next ‘Mrs. Prominent.’ It was a dank, sparsely furnished, little bungalow where your mind could take you anywhere without spending a lot of money. It was a place where reality hit as you pulled out of the private garage into the tranquil setting of the pines (if you were fortunate enough to exit at dawn) to return to life.

“Thanks again for running the picture and forcing me to remember ‘Times at Three Mile Inn.’ Good luck on the feature story.

“Sorry, no name, I choose to remain anonymous with secret memories safely secluded and nestled among the pines as they were years ago.”



Anonymous



•••



“Are you really going to do a feature story on a no-tell motel that you rented by the hour for $7.35? This was a place where married men and women who were not married to each other met for, well you know what.

“Man I would like to read those stories! I wonder if any will be about the two-way mirror in one of the buildings.

“You know, each building had a name of a town over the door — Jackson, Birmingham, Gulfport, Mobile, etc. — so they could tell their spouse they were in that city for the day.

“I have no firsthand knowledge or experience at Three Mile Inn but, like Ma Shumate’s, everyone who grew up in the 60s and early 70s knew about it.”



Bobby Vance

Meridian



•••



“Hey … Raymond Huffmaster here. I can tell you some about this place. The Three Mile Inn was a nightclub/tavern/dance hall. The Three Mile Inn Tourist Courts were built up the hill behind it … same feller owned them both.

“The first owner I know of was Simmie Cochran and his wife, Margret. Margret was my Uncle Tom’s sister. Simmie and Margaret lived in a grand house on the corner of Grand Avenue and Highway 45 South. That house later became the White Castle, and it had a huge basement under it. Still has a basement down there.

“Simmie Cochran died and my uncle Tom came to run the Three Mile Inn. His wife was named Eva and she was wheelchair-bound; my mother lived with them to help Aunt Eva and also worked at Three Mile Inn with Uncle Tom … by the way, his name was Tom Maxwell.

“I think she lived with them there for four years or so, from about 14 or 15 years old until 18 or so. She met my dad while working there. This would be from maybe 1937 until 1941.

“Three Mile Inn was a fairly large nightclub, great big dance floor. They sold beer and whiskey also … as did all the night spots then. What Mother remembers, and what I did get to see after I was old enough to remember things, is the way the club was painted inside. It had the moon, stars and clouds painted on the ceilings and walls with little sparkling lights.

“It was really something to see. I really miss all the old taverns around here and the way they looked inside, really neat, some of ‘em.

“The Three Mile Inn Tourist courts were built, according to Mother’s memory, to accommodate the ‘big shots’ in town, she called ‘em, thus the reason for the doors on the garages.

“For as far back as I could be aware of such things, the Three Mile Inn Tourist Courts were used as a liaison or as a rendezvous hiding place. Notorious for renting by the hour. That suits me I reckon, always been a need for a place like that and The Inn was so secluded … perfect place. I will admit to using it, seems like I can remember that far back.

“Margret Cochran sold it to Cleve Neely, whose widow owns it till today unless she has recently sold it. Had a good bit of land with it, 50 to 60 acres maybe. Cleve turned the Cochran house into the White Castle. I really want the White Castle sign …

“I would pay a lot to know who painted the interior of The Three Mile Inn night club. It was beautiful. I have a feeling it could have been Houston Penton, an old sign-painter around here back then.”



Raymond Huffmaster

Dalewood



•••



“I’m reading The Meridian Star, Saturday, June 24, 2006. The photo and article on the front page ‘What do you remember?’ brings back many memories to me.

“The Three Mile Inn was not located where the bungalows have been uncovered; it was up the hill a short distance where the Ralph Morgan rodeo sign is each year (before a rodeo). Of course, the fence is grown up and there’s not even a sign of a road ever being there.

“Now to the bungalows, they were always hidden in the growth, bushes and trees. They were known as houses of prostitution. They could not be seen from the highway and I personally have never driven up to this location. I never knew how many were there, just always knew about them.

“That was in the 1940s and 1950s, during the time of the popular places to hang out, like Long Horn Drive-in, The Spot, and Rock Hill — on Highway 45 also. Also Sky View, run by Tom Mattox.”



Former Lauderdale

County resident, now

living in Clarke County



•••



“To the best of my memory, The Three Mile Inn was a nightclub located on the left of Highway 45 before you get to The White Castle. I was never in it, but was told the bartender was shot and killed. There was a drive-up window in the rear where beverages could be purchased.

“The motel was called The Three Mile Court. A customer could drive up to the office and pay the attendant, to the best I can remember, $4 or $5 and he would give you a room number.

“The customer and his lady friend would then drive in the garage next to your room, and close and bar the door. The rooms were clean with clean sheets on the bed, a chair and a bathroom with clean towels. They were warm in winter and cool in summer. A person could not see in the window or get in the door because of the bar. It was very quiet.

“A customer could spend a few hours or take food and stay a part of a day or night. It was open 24 hours. When a customer left, the attendant would clean the room and put clean sheets and towels on the bed and in the bathroom for the next customer.

“I remember many happy hours being spent there. No one would bother you and it was well-run, clean and not very expensive. This was many years ago. It could not operate in today’s climate because of drugs and irresponsible people and destructive people.”



An old Three Mile customer



•••



“I read the article about the Three Mile Inn online in The Meridian Star. If you want a juicy story about the Three Mile Inn, look no further than The Meridian Star archives in about the fall of 1966 … or maybe in 1967 or so.

“Rumor always had it that the Three Mile Inn was a hot pillow joint. Anyhow, it seems that a man and a woman (married, but not to each other) met there for an afternoon of fun.  Apparently, each bungalow was heated with propane heaters. After enjoying some of the fun that afternoon, one person of this couple lit a cigarette. The propane heater in that bungalow was leaking gas — and the place had a fire and a minor explosion.

“The next day, The Meridian Star had it all on the front page as I recall. The news article, I believe, named names, detailed the ambulance ride to the emergency room, the extent of the burns, etc.

“Many of us living in Meridian at the time laughed about it and said the guy involved must have had a helluva time explaining all that to his wife! I guess the woman involved had some explaining to do, too.”



Anonymous



•••



“When I was in high school in the early 50s, the Three Mile Inn had a sign on the front, ‘Padlocked by the Sheriff’s Dept.’ You drove around back, and a man came out and asked you what kind of liquor you wanted. A pint of Canadian Club was $4.”



James East

St. Aloysius ‘54

(St. Patrick’s)



p.s. After college and the Army, I seldom went back to Meridian. I’ve lived in St. Louis since 1959.



•••



“I was always under the impression that the ‘motel’ across from the White Castle was a house of prostitution. I am 46, so my memories are mostly from when I was very young, but I remember my momma and daddy joking about it whenever we rode past. I was too young for a while to catch on to their humor but, as I grew older, I remembered their comments and put things together.”



Sally Miles

Meridian



LET’S DO THIS AGAIN SOMETIME



Do you wonder about an old structure that you drive by every day on the way to work? An abandoned store? A vacant building in downtown Meridian? To nominate a new “What do you remember?” candidate, call Managing Editor Suzanne Monk at (601) 693-1551, or e-mail her at smonk@themeridianstar.com.