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History · Bethany

Bethany was first counted by the census in 1880, and 59% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: 3 old photos and papers, maps from 1986 on, and the census since 1880.

1880first census
0on the National Register
59%homes built before 1940
3old photos & papers
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Bethany’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Bethany began

When was Bethany founded?

1880

Bethany first appears in the census in 1880.

First census: 62 in 18802020 census: 95146 years
Founding year: the first census.The full story ↓

What stands out about Bethany’s past

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

A history waiting to be writtenOnly 3 old photos are in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Bethany’s homes were built before 1938.Boom and bustPeaked at 127 in 1980; 95 people lived here in 2020.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Bethany’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewBethany Park Indiana, around 1910: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
The story

How Bethany came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Bethany.

Read it all →

Bethany was incorporated in 1955, named for Bethany Park, established on the site in 1884 by the Disciples of Christ for camp meetings.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

People over time

Bethany, census by census

010018801900192019401960198020002020Peak: 127

Peaked at 127 in 1980; 95 people lived here in 2020.

8 censuses, 1880–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Bethany’s Wikipedia page.

From the old history books

What they wrote about Bethany in 1908

Passages that mention Bethany, cut from the printed page as they were published.

In 1783 the parishes of Amity and Bethany united their efforts in seeking to secure town privileges, but they could not agree as to the location of the town house or public hall. After Bethany had made many proposals, none of which were accepted by Amity, it was decided to petition the general
Bethany sketches and records1908Read the page →
Read the text

In 1783 the parishes of Amity and Bethany united their efforts in seeking to secure town privileges, but they could not agree as to the location of the town house or public hall. After Bethany had made many proposals, none of which were accepted by Amity, it was decided to petition the general

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
In 1783 the parishes of Bethany and Amity united their elforts in trying to secure town privileges, but they could not agree at to the location of the town house. After Bethany had made many proposals, none of which were accepted by Amity, it was decided to petition the General Assembly to be made …
Bethany sketches and records1908Read the page →
Read the text

In 1783 the parishes of Bethany and Amity united their elforts in trying to secure town privileges, but they could not agree at to the location of the town house. After Bethany had made many proposals, none of which were accepted by Amity, it was decided to petition the General Assembly to be made into

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.

Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

Timeline

Bethany, 1910 to 1986

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

  1. 20th century
  2. 1910In the archiveBethany Park Indiana, around 1910
  3. 1980CensusPopulation peaks at 127
  4. 1986On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Bethany, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1910s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1910s3 items
Bethany Park Indiana, around 19101910Bethany Park Indiana, around 1910Bethany Park Indiana, lake, around 19101910Bethany Park Indiana, lake, around 1910Bethany Park Indiana, oublishing house, around 19121912Bethany Park Indiana, oublishing house, around 1912
1920s–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
Today1 recent
Bethany, Indiana2016Bethany, Indiana
On the map

Bethany on the map in 1986

The U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Bethany.

Bethany on the 1986 USGS map1986Indianapolis sheet · 1:100,000

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Bethany.

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.

Bethany Park Indiana, around 1910
Retake this viewBethany Park Indiana, around 1910, 1910

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

Retake this view · +15

Questions about Bethany’s history

What year was Bethany founded?

The Bethany post office opened in 1880, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

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 (4), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.