Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Bethel
    Bethel
    Bethel
    Ebook165 pages57 minutes

    Bethel

    By Rita J. Sheehan

    5/5

    ()

    Read preview

    About this ebook

    The town of Bethel is located in Sullivan County, 90 miles northwest of New York City. Bethel was established on March 27, 1809, and the first hotel in the county opened in the hamlet of White Lake in 1846. Hundreds of hotels were to follow, from the Arlington to the Woodlawn Villa. During the silver and golden ages, White Lake became fashionable, and many people flocked to the clean water of the lake, fresh mountain air, and grand hotels. The tanneries, gristmills, and sawmills were prosperous during the 1800s. In 1969, Bethel was the site of the Woodstock Music and Arts Fair that drew nearly 500,000 people to the town. Through vintage images, Bethel recalls this town's vibrant past.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherArcadia Publishing
    Release dateNov 2, 2009
    ISBN9781439622322
    Bethel
    Author

    Rita J. Sheehan

    Rita J. Sheehan has been the Bethel town clerk for 12 years, a member of the New York State Local Government Records Association, the New York State Town Clerks Association, Orange-Sullivan Town Clerks Association, and the Sullivan County Historical Society. She has selected images from the town archives, family collections, and professional photographers for the best assortment to showcase the community.

    Related to Bethel

    Related ebooks

    Travel For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      Gene Autry in Oklahoma

      Mar 5, 2024

      Gene Autry in Oklahoma
      6 min read

    • Article

      Union Bay Historical Society

      Sep 3, 2019

      Union Bay Historical Society
      3 min read

    • Article

      Looking Back 200 Years

      Mar 16, 2020

      Looking Back 200 Years
      4 min read

    • Article

      Conway, North Dakota

      Nov 27, 2018

      Conway, North Dakota
      3 min read

    • Article

      The Other Billie

      Dec 4, 2018

      The Other Billie
      5 min read

    • Article

      Front Words

      Sep 15, 2023

      Happy 90th anniversary to City of Vancouver Archives. Its collection captures the city’s story through 7.2 million photographs, 6,800 maps, 2,800 audio recordings, documents measured in kilometres and terabytes of digital material. How did it begin?

      4 min read

    • Article

      A Town Within Famed Cody

      Jul 6, 2021

      A Town Within Famed Cody
      4 min read

    • Article

      Sunnyside Meats

      Jun 4, 2019

      Sunnyside Meats
      2 min read

    • Article

      Gold Hill, Nevada

      May 23, 2023

      Gold Hill, Nevada
      3 min read

    • Article

      State Of The State 200

      Jul 27, 2021

      State Of The State 200
      21 min read

    • Article

      Out On The Town

      Sep 24, 2019

      Out On The Town
      3 min read

    • Article

      Celebrating Black History on Staten Island

      Apr 1, 2020

      Celebrating Black History on Staten Island
      2 min read

    • Article

      The Faraway Nearby

      Feb 27, 2020

      The Faraway Nearby
      10 min read

    • Article

      LYTTON A Tale of Two Museums

      Jun 4, 2019

      LYTTON A Tale of Two Museums
      4 min read

    • Article

      Rags To Honest Riches

      Mar 26, 2019

      Rags To Honest Riches
      3 min read

    • Article

      Crockett

      Sep 23, 2021

      Nestled in the Piney Woods of East Texas, Crockett was established shortly after the Texas Revolution and named for famed frontiersman Davy Crockett. With an economy based on lumber, agriculture, oil, and the railroad, Crockett grew into a busy cross

      3 min read

    • Article

      Pieces Of History: The Story Of Gee’s Bend

      Aug 4, 2021

      Quilts are what propelled the small community of Gee’s Bend into the headlines, so it is fitting their quilts tell the Gee’s Bend tale… Long before the quilts of Gee’s Bend hung in museums of Fine Art, the women of Boykin, Alabama were making quilt

      6 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for Bethel

    5/5

    1 rating0 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

      Book preview

      Bethel - Rita J. Sheehan

      archives.

      INTRODUCTION

      This addition to the Images of America series, Bethel, is a pictorial history featuring all of the town’s hamlets, which are Bethel, Black Lake, Briscoe, Bushville, Kauneonga Lake, Mongaup Valley, Smallwood, Swan Lake, and White Lake. Of course, it also includes the historical 1969 Woodstock Music and Art Fair. The Town of Bethel archives has a growing collection of over 300 photographs and postcards from local collectors.

      The original settlers of the town were George and Peter Pintler, brothers from Sussex, New Jersey, in 1798. They settled on land owned by John K. Beekman and purchased the land from him in 1804. The old foundation of the original house can still be seen among the brush.

      The White Lake Presbytery Society was formed on December 25, 1805. In 1806, commissioners of the society were charged with finding a place to build their church edifice. In the spring of 1809, Norman and Burton Judson carved out a corner of their lot for a church and cemetery. When Abijah Mitchell drove the stake in the ground marking the spot for the church, he remarked let this be known as the house of God. When the new township was formed later that spring and a name was to be given, it was so called after the house of God: beth (house) and El (God). This is the site of the first church erected in the Town of Bethel; the White Lake Presbyterian Church (today known as the Bethel Presbyterian Church) built in 1810 but not dedicated until 1848. The church stood near the old Bethel Cemetery across from Evergreen Cemetery. The new church, located near Dr. Duggan Road, was built in 1912 by William J. Donaldson. Much of the material in the old church was moved and used in the new church. Helen Fraser Lemon sketched the church as it looked in 1912, and a copy of the sketch is on display at the Bethel Historical Museum.

      In 1804, Graham Hurd was the founder of a farming community that became known as Hurd Settlement. Until he could erect a house in this virgin wilderness, he had to make do with a natural rock formation that provided protection from the elements. This place is known as Rock Cabin. In 1989, this site was proposed for development, and the town historian at the time, Bert Feldman, advocated for this area to be preserved. It still exists today in an undeveloped area near Fayerweather Road.

      The question of separating from the town of Lumberland was asked at a town meeting in March 1808 when a vote was taken at the house of David Danfield at Rocky Pond in that town. The question of separating was then held by public referendum and passed. The Town of Bethel was formed by an act of the New York State legislature on March 27, 1809. The first town board meeting was held at the house of William Brown on March 6, 1810. The first officials, John Conklin (town supervisor) and William Brown (town clerk), were elected, and at this meeting, hogs were noted as not being free commoners. It is recorded in the official minutes of the town that a unique mark would identify the owner of the farm animals.

      The first bridge at Mongaup Valley was built in 1808 by Solomon Hurd and Norman Judson. It was taken down in 1821 by William Gillespie, who, with Hugh Dunlap, built the second bridge. This bridge stood only nine years and was carried downstream by a great flood in November 1829. In 1830, the old covered bridge was put there by Capt. John Voorhes. It stood 80 years and was taken down in 1910. In 1911, it was replaced with an iron bridge. In 1939, the iron bridge washed out.

      The Eureka School in Mongaup Valley on Gale Road was built in 1862 and was originally a public hall. In 1867, the public hall was converted to the school, and in 1899, it was bought by Father Raymond and has since been the St. Joseph’s Church.

      The first hotel in Sullivan County was built in 1846 by James Beekman Finlay, nephew of John K. Beekman, in White Lake. Hundreds of hotels were to follow. White Lake was fashionable, and many flocked to the clean water of the lake and fresh air of the mountains, especially during the silver age. Some of the grandest hotels were located here. Boat regattas were held during the summer and attracted hundreds. The tanneries, gristmills, and sawmills were prosperous and attracted many workers and their families. Stately homes were built. There are very few photographs of the tanneries, but there are many photographs of the homes, boat regattas, schools, churches, post offices, lakes, falls, hotels, and several covered bridges.

      The silver age (1845–1915) and golden age (1940–1965) came and went in Sullivan County. The hotels that were once so popular lay dormant and began to dilapidate due to disrepair and lack of upkeep. There is only one hotel left today in White Lake and Kauneonga Lake, the Bradstan Bed and Breakfast. The Bradstan was the Roxie in its day.

      The town had seen thousands of people in its heyday, but none could compare to the three days of love and peace of the Woodstock Music and Art Fair held on August 15–17, 1969, that drew nearly 500,000. The rock concert made the town of Bethel the third-largest city in the state for a day. The roads were backed up to the New York State Thruway. Cars were abandoned, and their occupants trekked on foot to the now famous site where there was a lack of food, water, and sanitary conditions. Although it has been rumored a child was born during the concert, there is no record on file

      Enjoying the preview?
      Page 1 of 1