County of structure: Shelby County
Location of structure: Main St., 2nd house N. of 1st St., east side, Bethel
"9. A two story frame dwelling, " ~ NRHP Nomination Form
"Surrounded by flat, regular terrain, the Bethel Historic District
in Bethel, Missouri is bisected by a main street (Route 15) which
runs in a north-south direction, with two streets parallel to it,
one to the east and one to the west. The town is further divided
by a series of three cross streets running in an east-west direction
parallel to the North River which lies just to the south of the town,
The majority of the buildings are arranged along both sides of the
main street with an east-west orientation, Only the Vandiver House
which was standing when the property was purchased defies this directional placement.
"Architecturally, the structures are remarkably consistent. The
buildings are situated close to the sidewalks ·to utilize the minimum amount of farmland, They all stand on limestone foundations
and most are constructed of brick made by the colony members and
laid according to the American bond method, Broken bits of brick
also appear in the frame houses as an insulating filler between the
walls. Two story structures with simple ridge roofs are the most
prevalent, as are· plain rectangular doors and windows with wood
frames, sills and lintels, The buildings are generally devoid of
ornamentation with the exception of slight decorative brickwork
above each opening."
"By 1874-75, the Bethel community owned about 4,000 acres of land and
1300 acres in Adair County where a new settlement called Nineveh had
been established in 1851. When Charles Nordhoff visited Bethel in
1874, the town had 200 members, and such buildings as a church, saw
mill, grist mill, tannery, general store, drug store, shops for
carpenters, blacksmiths, coopers, tinners, tailors, shoemakers, and
hatters; as well as many fine brick homes. The town consisted of
one main street running north and south; at the head of which was a
hotel kept in the German way with beds in the large common room and
meals in the kitchen. (Nordhoff, 1960, PP. 324-25.)" ~ NRHP Nomination Form
"In this case, departing from precedent, he chose for the name of the new community the name of his most loved daughter. In choosing Biblical names for his colonies, Dr. Keil must have had in mind the migration of Abraham, father of the faithful, into the promised land, like his own migration into a new country; first Bethel, the place where his tent had been at the beginning (Gen. 13:3)..." ~ History of North-East Missouri, pages 633-34; History of Shelby County, 1884, pages 666, 861-69