Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church

It is believed that parishioners of Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church were worshiping in a private residence on North Street by 1859. The church eventually moved to a site on Church Street to accommodate the growing congregation. On March 2, 1895 Bethel AME Church was formally incorporated. In April of the same year, a lot was acquired on Fourth Street from Amelia Brinkley and a house of worship was built. A second building on Church Street, for use as a parsonage, was conveyed to the Trustees by Emma Deputy in 1926. Membership outgrew the frame structure on Fourth Street, and services were moved back to the original church, while a new cinder block building was under construction. The new church opened in 1937, and the original building, known as “Old Bethel”, was sold to Joseph Shockley in 1939. In 1965 a new parsonage was purchased on Truitt Street, and the Church Street site was sold. In 1999 the Bethel AME Community Life Center opened on property obtained behind the sanctuary. Bethel AME Church continues to serve the spiritual needs of the Milford community.