Church History

Bethel Baptist Church was first called Bethel Baptist Church of Christ. It was organized on March 25, 1954. the church was located where the Old Bethel Baptist Church now stands.

In June, 1897, the church appointed a committee to locate a place to build a new church. The new location was described as near halfway between Pond Springs Post Office and the cave on the Public Road.

After the new Bethel Baptist Church was built, the old church which had been used as a church and school was used as a school only for many years. After the school was discontinued, the building was remolded, Sunday School rooms added, and a new church formed was called Old Bethel Baptist Church. The old frame building still stands today.

The building at the new location on the public road stood from 1897 to 1958 when it was destroyed by fire. A new brick building was erected in the same location to replace it and is still being used today.

These 2 photos, donated by Lucille Bailey, show the front of the frame church built in 1897. Mrs. Bailey remembers when the 2 double doors each had concrete steps similar to Cove Methodist Church. In later years the individual steps were removed and a concrete porch was put across the front of the building as shown in these photos taken in 1944.