Bethel Methodist Church

Bethel Methodist Church

Bethel Methodist Church is a landmark of early Methodist history in Ohio. Located in the unincorporated community of Bantam near the town of Bethel, it now sits within East Fork State Park along Park Road #1. Founded in 1805 by pioneer Methodist minister John Collins—a New Jersey native who migrated to the Northwest Territory in 1802 and is credited with establishing Methodist classes across southern Ohio—the congregation initially built a log church.

Collins is said to have been one of the first Methodist preachers in the Cincinnati area, though Ohio’s oldest Methodist congregation dates to 1797 in Milford.

The original log structure was replaced in 1818 with a frame building, which was significantly modified in 1867, including the addition of a bell tower.

Architecturally, it’s a simple vernacular design: a rectangular gable-front frame structure with weatherboarded walls on a stone foundation, featuring a square belfry and twelve-over-twelve sash windows divided into bays.

The church closed in 1968 (last service on December 21, 1969) after the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers acquired surrounding land for William H. Harsha Lake (formerly East Fork Lake), displacing residents and leaving no congregation.

It fell into disrepair but was saved through preservation efforts, including the formation of the Old Bethel Church Historical Society in 1975 by former members and descendants.

The site was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978 for its pioneer architecture and ties to Collins.