Bethany, Georgia facts for kids

Bethany is a small community in Baker County, Georgia, United States. It's called an unincorporated community because it doesn't have its own local government like a city or town.

Where is Bethany Located?

Bethany is found where several roads meet. These roads include Will White Road, Big Oak Road, and Bethany Road. This busy intersection is often called 'six points'. Other roads like Bogardus Road and Damascus Highway also pass through the area. Bethany is located in a specific part of Baker County called Land Lot 326-District Seven.

What Was Bethany Like?

Long ago, Bethany was a busy place with gas stations and a general store. These buildings are now empty. You can also see many abandoned homes and barns around the community. In the past, Bethany had a store, a cotton gin, a grist mill, a peanut shelter, and a cucumber packing shed. All of these old buildings have been taken down.

Bethany's Early History

Bethany was started in 1855 by a man named James Blumer White. Before 1850, this area was mostly covered in forests. People began moving to Bethany around that time. They received land from the government. Most of these early settlers came from South Carolina and North Carolina.

Schools in Bethany

In 1855, Blumer White built the very first school in Bethany. It was a small, one-room building made of logs. This building was also used as a church. Mr. White was the school-master, and J.E. Dykes was the pastor. The last school built in the area was Bethany Consolidated School. It taught students from first to ninth grade and had five teachers. There haven't been any schools in Bethany since the 1940s.

Churches in Bethany

In the late 1890s, a large, one-room wooden building was built. It served as a Missionary Baptist Church. Bethany Baptist Church officially started on May 11, 1894, with eleven families joining. The church members built their own building in 1895. It cost $150.00 and was built on land given by Mr. Morgan Rye. By the time it was finished, the church had twenty members. Mr. J.E. Dykes was the first leader and pastor.

The current church building was started in 1950 and opened in June 1951. Mrs. Lemuel Wright Parr was the only original member still alive to see the new church. Her husband had provided the wood for the first church. Mrs. Parr also made the first and last donations for the new brick church. One member, Jerome Ethredge, became a missionary and moved to Togo, Africa. Today, the Bethany Baptist Church building is no longer used. Its steeple began to fall apart in 2011. Pleasant Hill Missionary Baptist Church is another church in the area, and it is still open and active.

Bethany Today

As of 2011, Bethany is mainly a small farming community. Not many of its original buildings are left. You can still see a few old farmhouses that are empty. There's also the old general store and the Bethany Baptist Church and Cemetery.