Monday, December 12, 2011

Bethel Church

Bethel Church was begun as an outreach of the Methodist Episcopal Church to support the effort of the Western Seaman’s  Friend Society to improve the moral and religious condition of seaman and boatmen in waters west of New York State. Rev. Thomas Cooper was the first minister of the Bethel Church in Sandusky in 1847. Early church services were held in the building occupied by the Custom House in Sandusky in the 1850s. In January of 1853 the Bethel Church on Water Street was dedicated.  The architect for the church was H. White from Cleveland, Ohio. The church featured two towers which were 57 feet tall. Rev. E. R. Jewett was the minister of Bethel Church from 1855 through 1858. Bethel Church can be seen in the picture below. The location of the church on Water Street was very close to the harbor of Sandusky, making it easy for men aboard the lake vessels to attend Bethel Church.

4 comments:

information technology said...

nice images i like it..

Unknown said...

The 3 story stone building to the East of Bethal Church interests me because of the 2 door openings and plaques that are on the Water St. frontage. Any idea what this building was and when it was built? It sits between the Bethal Church building and the Fedderson building. It almost looks like an old Firehouse?

Thanks,
Roberta Watson
Rlg1419@gmail.com

Sandusky Library Archives Research Center said...

According to the Ohio Historic Inventory, done in 1979, the building was originally (1858) owned by Smith & Parsons, a wine and liquor dealer and vinegar manufacturer, and was used for that type of business into the 20th century. As far as we can tell, it has always been used for commercial/manufacturing activities.

Anonymous said...

Located at 307 west water st… kept alive and improved by Walt LaCourse who was born exactly 100 years later in 1953.. I lived in the old church for 37 years…