An
Abenaki Indian village was once located on the north side of the
Androscoggin River, but had been abandoned before its subsequent
English settlement. In 1769, the township was granted as Sudbury-Canada by the
Massachusetts General Court to Josiah Richardson of
Sudbury,
Massachusetts and others (or their heirs) for services at the
Battle of Quebec in 1690. It was first settled in 1774 when Nathaniel Segar of
Newton,
Massachusetts started clearing the land. The
Revolutionary War, however, delayed many grantees from taking up their claims. Only 10 families resided at Sudbury-Canada when it was
plundered on August 3, 1781, during the last Indian attack in Maine. Two inhabitants, Benjamin Clark and Nathaniel Segar, were abducted and held captive in
Quebec until the war's conclusion, after which the community grew rapidly. On June 10, 1796, Sudbury-Canada Plantation was incorporated as
Bethel, the name taken from the
Book of Genesis and meaning "House of God." In 1802, a trade road (now
Route 26) was completed from
Portland to
Errol,
New Hampshire, passing through Bethel and bringing growth. More settlers and businesses arrived. Crops were planted on fertile intervales and
meadows formerly cultivated by Indians. Bethel became one of the best
farming towns in the state, especially for
hay and
potatoes. In winter, farmers found work
logging, with the
lumber cut at
sawmills operated by
water power from streams. Other manufacturers produced
flour,
leather and
harnesses,
furniture,
boots and
shoes,
carriages, and
marble and
granite work. The Bethel House, a large hotel, was built in 1833. File:Ferry at West Bethel, ME.jpg|Ferry across the Androscoggin River at West Bethel in 1909 File:The Prospect Hotel, Bethel, ME.jpg|The Prospect Hotel, largest in Bethel, as it appeared in 1909 File:Church Street, Bethel, ME.jpg|Church Street in File:Main & Church Sts., Bethel, ME.jpg|Main and Church streets in 1913 On March 10, 1851, the
Atlantic and St. Lawrence Railroad opened to Bethel, carrying
freight and summer tourists eager to escape the noise, heat and pollution of cities. Between the
Civil War and
World War I, Bethel was a fashionable summer resort. Several hotels were built facing the common or on Bethel Hill. Begun in 1863, The Prospect Hotel was the largest, with a
cupola from which guests could observe the mountains.
Tally-ho coaches provided tours through
wilderness landscapes of the
White Mountains and Maine. Dr. John G. Gehring's famed clinic for
nervous disorders attracted many wealthy patients. Between 1897 and 1926, a number of figures in the music world performed at the Maine Music Festivals organized by
William Rogers Chapman. But with the advent of the
automobile, tourists were no longer restricted by the limits of train service, but were free to explore. Consequently, many big hotels built near the tracks lost patrons, declined and were eventually torn down. The Prospect Hotel was largely destroyed by fire in 1911. Although transportation patterns and preferences in vacation accommodations have changed, Bethel remains a tourist destination for its natural setting, history and recreation resources. ==Organizational development==