County of site: Shelby County
loccation of marker: Main St. & 1st St., small park, Bethel
Name comes from Genesis 13
"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 NE Missouri, pages 633-34
Genesis 13: 1-6
"1. And Abram went up out of Egypt, he, and his wife, and all that he had, and Lot with him, into the south.
"2 And Abram was very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold.
"3 And he went on his journeys from the south even to Bethel, unto the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Hai;
"4 Unto the place of the altar, which he had made there at the first: and there Abram called on the name of the LORD.
"5 And Lot also, which went with Abram, had flocks, and herds, and tents.
"6 And the land was not able to bear them, that they might dwell together: for their substance was great, so that they could not dwell together." ~ KJV Bible
"Bethel, in North River Valley, five miles from Shelbyville, was founded in 1844 as a religious communal colony by Wilhelm Keil and his German-American followers. Keil (1812-1877), an independent preacher, called his adherents "Christians." Without a written agreement, they shared their property and labor, though private earnings were allowed. Bethel community was early noted for its handicrafts and musical band.
"Membership was about 650 in 1855 when Keil, fearing Bethel too subject to outside influence, led a group west and established Aurora colony in Oregon. Their expedition over the Oregon Trail is unique for it was conducted as a funeral cortege. Keil's son, Willie, died before he realized his father's promise to lead the group, and was carried instead in the head wagon in a metal box, alcohol-filled. After six months and over 2,000 miles, he was buried at Willapa, Washington.
"Keil never returned to Bethel, directing affairs there by letter. When the colonies disbanded, 1879-1881, they held property in common valued at $109,806. Bethel supplied $64,328 of this and owned 4,267 acres.
"Bethel communal colony, with its small settlements called Elim, Mamri, and Hebron, was established in Shelby County. Nineveh lay over the line in Adair County. Keil's mansion stands at Elim, east of Bethel." ~ State Historical Society of Missouri, 1955 marker