Bethel Church - Labadie, Missouri
Posted by: 
YoSam.
N 38° 31.111 W 090° 52.782
15S E 684847 N 4265478
No longer an active church, but an active historic site.
Waymark Code: WMY0VC
Location: Missouri, United States
Date Posted: 03/29/2018
Views: 0
County of church: Franklin County
Location of church: MO-T & Laretto Ridge Drive, 3 miles SW of Labadie
Church built: 1868
Architect: Unknown
"SUMMARY: The Bethel Church is located in Franklin County, on Missouri Highway
T, 1½ miles west of the village of Labadie. The red brick building, covered
by a slate roof, rests on a quarried limestone block foundation. The exterior
of the building remains in excellent condition and reflects a simplicity of
the environment and the congregation at its time of origin. Constructed in
1868 in the Greek Revival style, the one-story building is rectangular in plan
(37' 9" wide X 59' 6" long X 21' 9" high exterior dimensions). Its height
extends to 33' at the peak of the gable roof. There is a balcony over the
narthex and ushers' room. Despite its small scale, the Bethel Church conveys
the strict formalism of its Greek Revival design. Although the setting has
been somewhat compromised by recent development, the Bethel Church retains
integrity of design, materials, workmanship, association, and location.
"NARRATIVE: The Bethel Church stands quietly on a hilltop overlooking the
church cemetery, located south of the church across Missouri Highway T, as a
silent witness and constant reminder of another date and time. Junior O'Brien
(George Phillips), who was killed in action on March 14, 1945, and was awarded
the Congressional Medal of Honor posthumously, is buried here in Bethel
Cemetery. The main entrance to the old church faces south and is accessible
directly from Highway T. On the adjacent property to the west is a small one story
frame residential building, currently unoccupied, and a small two-story
wood frame residential building formerly used as the original schoolhouse for
this area. The adjacent property to the east is a residential development
consisting of three acre sites. The adjacent property to the north is open
lawn and slopes away from the old church, providing a pleasant view toward
open pasture land and the wooded area beyond. The entire site is lawn area
with several large trees. There are no paved drives or parking areas." ~ NRHP Nomination Form