Indiana is sprinkled with hamlets that hardly extend beyond a wide spot in the road. I wish I could research them all, but the Delaware County community of Bethel is one I venture through on mind-clearing drives practically every week. The community’s most prominent landmark, a weary old Odd Fellows Hall, stands just up the road on the other side of Jake’s Creek.
Bethel was platted by Charles Lindley in 1837 as “Bethlin,” possibly a rural corruption of the word “Bethlehem1.” When a nearby community called Harrison dried up, Isaac Stout established a post office in town that he named after himself. By 1897, the community’s population had grown enough to warrant a fraternal organization. L.A. Johnson, J.W. Dotson, William A. Jackson, A.S. and W.R. Parker, A.J. Estle, and Dr. J.H. Hayden established Bethel Lodge 731 of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows2.
Historically, the I.O.O.F. is dedicated to visiting the sick, relieving the distressed, burying the dead, and educating orphans3. Charter members constructed a lodge at the corner of Muncie-Bethel Pike (the old Hub Highway) and North County Road 775-West. Unfortunately, it burned in 1910. A two-story brick replacement was quickly built to take its place4.
Bethel’s new Odd Fellows lodge was dedicated in January 1911. Walter Blackman and Harold Hobbs donated a new organ, and the members’ wives prepared a supper everyone enjoyed5. As was common practice then, the lodge occupied the second story of the building, while the first floor was used as a store6.
The building was one of the most popular places in Harrison Township until the lodge surrendered its charter on February 18, 19317. Fortunately, the general store remained continued to operate. Nathan Anderson and Zack Clevenger served as proprietors of the Bethel store at various points, but Mike and Lucille Ratcliffe acquired the operation from Carl M. Mitchell8 in 19399.
The Ratcliffes remodeled the lodge hall into an apartment but kept their kitchen downstairs so they could remain on call for their clients10. Despite its small size, the store sold a variety of goods like food, soft drinks, country produce, and hardware11! Unfortunately, the establishment frequently became the target of thieves12.
Newspaper references to the Bethel General Store vanished after 1952 and I’ve found no further information about the place. Today, it seems to stand abandoned as a silent testament to a once-vibrant rural community. Bethel’s old Odd Fellows hall and grocery is a staple of my Sunday morning drives, and I’d hate to see it collapsed or demolished.
Sources Cited
1 Flook, C. (2019). Lost Towns of Delaware County, Indiana. The History Press [Charleston]. book. p. 115.
2 Kemper, G. W. H. (1908). A Twentieth Century History of Delaware County, Indiana, Volume 1. book, Lewis Publishing Company.
3 Love (n.d.) Independent Order of Odd Fellows: The Sovereign Grand Lodge [Winston-Salem]. Web. Retrieved May 31, 2024.
4 (See footnote 2).
5 New Lodge Home Is Dedicated (1911, January 27). The Muncie Evening Press. p. 4.
6 Bethel I.O.O.F. To Build (1910, July 29). The Muncie Star. p. 14.
7 Ask Title Quieted (1935, May 16). The Muncie Evening Press. p. 10.
8 Mrs. Sarah Mitchell Named Administrator (1938, June 1). The Muncie Star. p. 12.
9 Greene, D. (1949, May 3). Seen and Heard in Our Neighborhood. The Muncie Star. p. 6.
10 (See footnote 9).
11 General Merchandise (1919, October 13). The Muncie Star. p. 10.
12 Bethel General Store Is Looted By Thieves (1931, March 8). The Muncie Star. p. 26.
