Bethel Colored Methodist Episcopal Church

Front: Bethel Colored Methodist Episcopal (C.M.E.) was founded in 1876, likely by former slaves. Members built a small wood frame church at this site after acquiring a 1-acre parcel for $5.00. Bethel primarily served African American residents of Tugaloo and Center Townships, some of whom migrated to Oconee Co. from Ga. Reverse: Bethel was part of the C.M.E. Church, founded in 1870 as an offshoot of the white-led Methodist Episcopal Church, South. The congregation is believed to have disbanded by the 1950s. The original cemetery is south of the church and continued to be used for burials decades after the church’s closure.