Bethel is a town in Windsor County, Vermont, United States. The population was 1,942 at the 2020 census. The town includes the locations of Bethel village, Bethel-Gilead, East Bethel, Lilliesville, Lympus (formerly Olympus), and West Bethel. Bethel is best known for being the source of Bethel White granite which was used to build Washington Union Station and the National Museum of Natural History. Bethel was the first town created by the independent Republic of Vermont in 1779 and was named after the Biblical village of Bethel.

Etymology

Dudley Chase, a grantee, was on a surveying expedition with a group of men. The men made camp in an area near the (now)entrance to Gilead Brook road where there is a group of large moss covered rocks. The men slept on the rocks and upon waking, Dudley Chase declared that it was the best night sleeping he had just like the Biblical experience of Jacob when sleeping in a field with a stone for a pillow. In the Biblical story, Jacob named the place Beth-el (House of God). Chase's associates were so impressed that they named the town the same.

Geography

thumb|left|[[Lithograph of Bethel from 1886 by L.R. Burleigh with list of landmarks]]

thumb|Bethel Town Hall

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which is land and , or 0.58%, is water.

Bethel is crossed by Interstate 89 (Exit 3 serves the town), Vermont Route 12 and Vermont Route 107. Amtrak's Vermonter train, operating daily between St. Albans and Washington, DC also passes through, but does not stop in town as it traverses the New England Central Railroad. The closest stations are Randolph to the north and White River Junction to the southeast.

Climate

This climatic region is typified by large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and cold (sometimes severely cold) winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Bethel has a humid continental climate, abbreviated "Dfb" on climate maps.

Demographics

As of the census Bethel is part of the White River Valley Supervisory Union which serves the towns of Bethel, Chelsea, South Royalton, Tunbridge, Sharon, Stockbridge, Strafford, and Rochester.

Bethel Revitalization Initiative

Since 2016, the town has focused on revitalizing the downtown. Each Fall, there is a "Bethel Better Block" event with a focus on bringing people downtown and fostering community with pop up shops and street art. In the Winter, Bethel presents Bethel University, a chance for community members to teach and learn from each other. In Spring of 2017, the Vermont Arts Council awarded Bethel a grant that funded three community arts projects, including a trout mural, lamp post banners by a local artist, and sculpture benches.

Notable people

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  • Harry Burrell, Major League Baseball pitcher and right fielder; born in Bethel
  • Richard McCormack, member of the Vermont Senate
  • Pat Putnam, MLB first baseman, born in Bethel
  • Heinie Stafford, MLB pitcher and Vermont legislator
  • Stephen Thomas, awarded a Medal of Honor for his actions in the Civil War
  • Larry Townsend, Vermont legislator
  • Kirk White, Masonic and Pagan lecturer and author, and Vermont legislator
  • In 2005, a Bethel teen was the focus of an episode of the MTV reality show, MADE.

References

  • Town of Bethel official website