Founding year: the first Bethesda post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1910.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Bethesda’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Bethesda is more historic than 87% of U.S. towns. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its age pulls it down.
A
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Bethesda’s overall grade.
Ohio towns list about as much on the Register as the country (a typical Ohio town has 2.9 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Bethesda’s 436 sits above most of its state (98% of Ohio towns have fewer) while its 54 historic buildings outnumber those of 85% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B+ to A+. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±8.0 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date; Wikidata gives 1910.
Founding year: the first post office (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about Bethesda’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Bethesda has had three names: Burrs Mills, Fairmount, and Bethesda. When the railroad reached the village in 1852, the Central Ohio Railroad built a station and named it Burr's Mills in honor of Merrick S. Burr, who operated a sawmill in the area. In 1855, Burr laid out a village which he called Fairmount because of its high and beautiful location. Prior to that time, there was a store, the Bethesda Methodist Church, and a post office, all located about 2 miles south of the current town on what now CR 26, and the post office was named after the church. The store proprietor was the postmaster and when he moved his store to the town, the post office also was relocated but retained its name. As a result, the town was called Fairmount while the railroad station was Burr's Mills and the post office was Bethesda. In the late 1800s, the name of Bethesda was finally chosen for the town. Bethe…
Passages that mention Bethesda, cut from the printed page as they were published.
Centennial history of Belmont County, Ohio1903 · page 747Read the page →
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he gave much attention to sheep raising. In Goshen township his farm contains 225 acres and he also owns 40 acres adjoining the town of Bethesda where he has already laid out one addition and sold lots, this beautiful little town attracting buyers of homes from all over the State.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Centennial history of Belmont County, Ohio1903 · page 294Read the page →
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It was named after Bethesda Church and P. O., which were located a mile or more south. When the post office was removed to the railroad station, the postmaster, Mr. Patterson, carried the name of the post office with him.
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.
Between 1,127 and 1,429 people in every census since 1920.
11 censuses, 1920–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Bethesda’s Wikipedia page.
Places that used to be
Old corners and burying grounds
Bethesda’s post office has been open since 1853.
Hamlets and corners on the map
Mil-mar Trailer Court
1cemetery inside Bethesda
Bethesda
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Questions about Bethesda’s history
What year was Bethesda founded?
The Bethesda post office opened in 1853, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1910.
How does Bethesda rank for history?
Bethesda is more historic than 87% of U.S. towns. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
What is on the National Register in Bethesda?
One place: the Epworth Park Historic District (listed 2025).
How old are the homes in Bethesda?
41% of Bethesda’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±8.0 points), against a typical 15% for an Ohio town; the median home was built in 1955.
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).
From Wikimedia Commons (10), the National Register of Historic Places (1), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), 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.
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