Bethel is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

located in the town of Richfield, in Wood County, Wisconsin, United States.

Settlement

Bethel was established in 1899 as a

Seventh-day Adventist The Seventh-day Adventist Church is an Adventism, Adventist Protestantism, Protestant Christian denomination which is distinguished by its observance of Saturday, the Names of the days of the week#Numbered days of the week, seventh day of the ...

education and religious community. The land had belonged to the Lyman Lumber Company. Lyman offered to the S.D.A.'s Wisconsin conference if they would agree to buy an additional 800 acres of Lyman land. The conference, then led by Elder William Covert, accepted the offer. Elder T.B. Snow was the first settler to arrive, initially living in a tent while he chopped trees, and writing home to his wife from "Camp Solitude." Snow's solitude didn't last long as he was soon joined by other settlers, students, and teachers. Elder Covert himself moved to Bethel with his family to help develop the institution. The first frame building was a school, and a post office was established in 1899. In 1900 another frame building was completed which served as dormitory, church, church schoolhouse, store and post office. Other buildings followed.

Educational Academy

Rooted as a religious educational institution, many families moved into the Bethel area seeking religious education for their students. The school was best known for its industrious education and manual arts.

“The purpose of the academy from its foundation has been to give young people a broad symmetrical training for usefulness, and to lay a solid foundation for any work they may do in a more advanced school. The academy was located in a rural section removed from the contaminating influence of city life, where the teachers and students might devote a part of their time to agriculture and other industries,”

At the height of its existence, the Bethel educational institution consisted of boys and girls dormitories, post office, school farm of in size, two barns, carpenter shop, bee house, and two staves. The Bethel academy’s average student population was 130 students during the 1920s.

References

{{authority control Populated places established in 1899 Unincorporated communities in Wisconsin Unincorporated communities in Wood County, Wisconsin