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History · Bethel

Bethel dates to 1840, and 50% of its homes were built before 1940

1 place in town is on the National Register, among them a historic district with 4 buildings. Below: 6 old photos and papers from 1960 on.

1840founded
1on the National Register
50%homes built before 1940
6old photos & papers
1famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Bethel’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Bethel began

When was Bethel founded?

1840

Bethel dates its founding to 1840 (Wikidata). Its post office opened in 1880.

2020 census: 239186 years
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1880.The full story ↓

What stands out about Bethel’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

Old housesHalf of Bethel’s homes were built before 1950.Deep rootsEstablished in 1840: 186 years of Bethel.Mystery photos5 old photos have no date. Neighbors can guess the decade.
★ What stands out · The story

How Bethel came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Bethel.

Read it all →

Bethel is a small, well-preserved 19th century shipbuilding and trading community. Wooden sailing vessels were constructed by Bethel's skilled ship carpenters until the early-20th century. The most significant class of Bethel craft were the Chesapeake sailing rams, which originated from this Broad Creek port.

The town of Bethel was formerly known as both Lewis' Wharf and Lewisville. The site was originally part of five hundred acres granted by the province of Maryland to James Caldwell in 1728. Settlement of this area was inhibited by the continuous boundary disputes between Maryland and the Penn family.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Bethel, 1840 to 1960

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1840
    FoundingBethel is established
  3. 1880Post officeThe Bethel post office opens
  4. 20th century
  5. 1933Born hereRobert Venables, Sr. is born here
  6. 1960In the archiveShip-Carpenter's House Bethel DE Jun 60
Help out

Start Bethel’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Bethel’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Date a photo5 archive items have no date. Guess the decade.+2Retake an old viewShip-Carpenter's House Bethel DE Jun 60: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
By decade

Bethel, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1960s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1960s1 item
Ship-Carpenter's House Bethel DE Jun 601960Ship-Carpenter's House Bethel DE Jun 60
1970s–1990snothing yet
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Add from your album
Date unknown5 to date
Historic American Buildings Survey Cortlandt Van Dyke Hubbard, Photographer June 1960 FRONT (SOUTH) ELEVATION SHOWING O…Date?Historic American Buildings Survey Cortlandt Van Dyke…Historic American Buildings Survey Cortlandt Van Dyke Hubbard, Photographer June 1960 FRONT (SOUTH) ELEVATION SHOWING O…Date?Historic American Buildings Survey Cortlandt Van Dyke…Historic American Buildings Survey Cortlandt Van Dyke Hubbard, Photographer June 1960 THE 'GREAT ROOM' IN ORIGINAL PART…Date?Historic American Buildings Survey Cortlandt Van Dyke…Historic American Buildings Survey Cortlandt Van Dyke Hubbard, Photographer June 1960 THE'GREAT ROOM' IN ORIGINAL PART …Date?Historic American Buildings Survey Cortlandt Van Dyke…Historic American Buildings Survey Cortlandt Van Dyke Hubbard, Photographer June 1960 WEST ELEVATION - Ship Carpenter's…Date?Historic American Buildings Survey Cortlandt Van Dyke…
Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

Ship-Carpenter's House Bethel DE Jun 60
Retake this viewShip-Carpenter's House Bethel DE Jun 60, 1960

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Bethel’s page.

Retake this view · +15
On the National Register

1 listing protects 4 historic buildings

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

place listed
1
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
4
each building in a district counts
first listed
1975
Bethel Historic District
Bethel Historic District
Districts

Architectural styles listings

Victorian1
Italianate1
Bethel Historic DistrictVictorian

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

Questions about Bethel’s history

What year was Bethel founded?

In 1840, according to Wikidata. Bethel’s post office opened in 1880.

What is on the National Register in Bethel?

One place: the Bethel Historic District (listed 1975).

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (6), the National Register of Historic Places (1), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.