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History · Bethlehem Township

Bethlehem Township dates to 1812, and 32% of its homes were built before 1940

Its Register listing is the Abbott-Holloway Farm. Below: maps from 1939 on.

1812founded
1on the National Register
32%homes built before 1940
2famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Bethlehem Township began

When was Bethlehem Township founded?

1812

Bethlehem Township dates its founding to 1812 (Wikipedia’s history). Its post office opened in 1816.

2020 census: 383214 years
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1816.The full story ↓

What stands out about Bethlehem Township’s past

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

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Bethlehem Township are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Lost villages1 post office opened and closed inside today’s Bethlehem Township, and 3 old place names are still on the map.Old housesHalf of Bethlehem Township’s homes were built before 1947.Deep rootsEstablished in 1812: 214 years of Bethlehem Township.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Bethlehem Township’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners and burying grounds

Another post office, Otto, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Bethlehem
1816–today
Otto
1864–1950
18101920today
Hamlets and corners on the map
BethlehemMiles PointOtto
1cemetery inside Bethlehem Township
Turner

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

The story

How Bethlehem Township came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Bethlehem Township.

Read it all →

Much of Bethlehem's history was destroyed by the Ohio River flood of 1937. What is known is that prior to its formation, the land which would become Bethlehem was owned by Colonel John Armstrong, who had been the commander of Fort Finney (located in present-day Jeffersonville, Indiana). The first settlers arrived at the site in 1805 Armstrong and others, most notably Jonathon Clark and William Plaskett, platted the community in 1812. It was laid out in 124 lots in a rectangular manner. Armstrong named it after Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, where he was born.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Bethlehem Township, 1812 to 1950

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1812
    FoundingBethlehem Township is established
  3. 1816Post officeThe Bethlehem post office opens
  4. 1843Born hereJohn M. Glass is born here
  5. 1864Post officeThe Otto post office opens
  6. 1874Born hereHalbert Hains Britan is born here
  7. 20th century
  8. 1939On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  9. 1950Post officeThe Otto post office closes
By decade

Bethlehem Township, decade by decade

Today1 recent
Holloway House at2012Holloway House at
On the map

Bethlehem Township on the map, 1939 to 1980

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Bethlehem Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Bethlehem Township on the 1939 USGS mapBethlehem Township on the 1948 USGS mapBethlehem Township on the 1953 USGS mapBethlehem Township on the 1980 USGS map1939Bethlehem sheet · 1:24,000

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

On the National Register

1 historic place in Bethlehem Township

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

place listed
1
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
5
each building in a district counts
first listed
1994
Abbott-Holloway Farm
Abbott-Holloway Farm
Buildings

Architectural styles listings

Double Pile1
Transverse-Frame Barn1
Abbott-Holloway FarmDouble Pile

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

Famous people

2 famous people were born in Bethlehem Township

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
John M. GlassChief of Police of Los Angeles, California · b. 1843
Halbert Hains BritanAmerican philosopher · b. 1874
Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Owen TownshipIts storyCWashington TownshipIts storyC−Saluda TownshipIts storyC+

Questions about Bethlehem Township’s history

What year was Bethlehem Township founded?

In 1812, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Bethlehem Township’s post office opened in 1816.

What is on the National Register in Bethlehem Township?

One place: the Abbott-Holloway Farm (listed 1994).

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 (1), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (1), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, 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.